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Summary: New report highlights global governmentsâ failure to support family-friendly policies and calls for new measures to enable the worldâs children to thrive, not merely survive. [12 February 2013] - A new report, launched today by the World Policy Analysis Centre, contains never-before-available comparative data on laws and public policies in 191 countries covering poverty, discrimination, education, health, child labour, child marriage and parental care. Changing Childrenâs Chances reveals how millions of children across the world face conditions that limit their opportunities to thrive and reach their full potential. Governments, in both developed and developing countries, are not taking widely agreed-upon steps in critical areas known to make a difference to childrenâs opportunities. This new research aims to focus global attention on these issues to ensure that existing policies governing child welfare are fully implemented and new measures introduced which will enable childrenâs full and healthy development. The report includes unique full colour world maps and tables offering insights into global policies on a range of topics including: how long girls are protected from marrying compared to boys; which countries charge tuition fees for secondary education; which countries guarantee paid leave for new mothers and fathers; and which countries offer inclusive education to children with disabilities. Changing Childrenâs Chances reveals that: âProgress over the past few decades demonstrates that where there is a will, there is a way to make dramatic changes in childrenâs lives, from survival to basic education,â said Dr Jody Heymann, Dean of the Fielding School of Public Health, University of California (UCLA), and Founding Director of the World Policy Analysis Centre, who co-authored the report . âHowever, our findings show how far nations still have to go to realize a world where all children have a chance to thrive, not just survive. National laws and policies in areas ranging from labour to education to poverty reduction fall far short of what countries have committed to in international agreements. At the same time, there are resource-constrained countries that are ahead of the curve, showing the feasibility of action and giving hope that dramatic change is possible.â Commenting on the Changing Childrenâs Chances report, Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Director of the Institute of Health Equity, University College London (UCL) added: âThe findings of this new report confirm that children the world over are being denied opportunities to live to their potential. What happens in a childâs early life â regardless of where they are in the world â very much determines their chances to lead healthy and productive lives in their adulthood. âThe inequalities children face in their early years lead to continued inequalities in later life. We simply cannot afford to let this continue to happen and we have to use the growing body of evidence to address the social determinants of childrenâs health and the conditions in which they are born, grow, live, work and age.â Representatives from governments all over the world will shortly be gathering to set global goals for what all the worldâs nations should strive for - the so-called âpost-2015â agenda. This agenda is being formulated right now and recommendations from the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons will be made to the UN Secretary General this coming May. Changing Childrenâs Chances calls on world leaders to consider the following in shaping the post-2015 agenda: Baroness Massey, Chairperson of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Children welcomed the reportâs publication and recommendations, adding: âThis report highlights yet again that supportive policies frame what caring families are able to provide for their children. The steps taken by governments do make the difference for childrenâs chances, whether ensuring access to quality education, protection from child labour and early marriage, good health care, providing working conditions that enable parents to care for their children and freedom from discrimination. We must continue to strive to hold countries publically and visibly accountable for the policies that are central to the lives of all children.â  For further information contact: Cathy Bartley, Bartley Robbs Communications, Tel: +44 (0)20 8694 9138 / +44 (0)7958 561 671, Email: cathy.bartley@bartley-robbs.co.uk, www.bartley-robbs.co.uk  Editorâs Notes
pdf: http://childrenschances.org/press/press%20releases/Childrens%20Chances%2...