Why we must not discriminate against any child ― UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised concern over all forms of discrimination against children in Nigeria and across the world, condemning the practice in its entirety.

The world’s agency gave this remark on the occasion of this year’s World Children’s Day held globally on Saturday.

The Executive Director, UNICEF, Catherine Russell, in a message made available to newsmen in Lagos Nigeria by the Communication Officer UNICEF Nigeria, Blessing Ejiofor, said many children are actually being discriminated against on daily basis because of their ethnicity, languages, and religious beliefs, noting that this scenario is rising each day across countries of the world.

She said the negative impact of discrimination on children’s education, health, access to a registered birth, and a fair and equal justice system is huge and disastrous.

She said systemic racism and discrimination put children at risk of deprivation and exclusion that can last a lifetime, adding that the rights of every child notwithstanding their backgrounds, colour or creed must be protected.

She said that is the surest way to build a more peaceful, prosperous, and just world for everyone.

She revealed that the new findings by the organisation show that children from marginalised ethnic, language and religious groups in an analysis of 22 countries lag far behind their peers in reading skills.

According to her, on average, students aged seven to 14 years from the most advantaged group are more than twice as likely to have foundational reading skills than those from the least advantaged group.

Making reference to Nigeria, Russell said Nigeria has 18.3 million children who are not in school, and a high number of children attending schools but not getting a solid education that can translate into good prospects for their future.

She said while this crisis affects children across Nigeria, girls and children with disabilities and those from the poorest households, as well as street children and children affected by displacement or emergencies, are affected more.

She said that we must all understand that discrimination and exclusion would deepen intergenerational deprivation and poverty and result in poorer health, nutrition, and learning outcomes for children, a higher likelihood of incarceration, higher rates of pregnancy among adolescent girls, and lower employment rates and earnings in adulthood.

She said “On World Children’s Day and every other day, every child has the right to be included, to be protected, and to have an equal chance to reach their full potential.

“So, all of us the adults and governments have the power to fight discrimination against children–in our countries, our communities, our schools, our homes, and our hearts. And the fight is now.”

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