Breaking cycle of inequities begins with children

Victor Chinyama Our Children, Our Future
A few weeks ago, I was part of a team that went to Kanyemba on the border with Zambia and Mozambique to write about the impact of the El Nino-induced drought on communities there. We visited a village in the foothills of the Zambezi Valley inhabited by the Doma people. There was evidence of

extreme poverty everywhere and the village head informed us that none of the 300 plus children in the village attended school.

These children are trapped in a cycle of intergenerational poverty and the only route out — a good quality education — is non-existent. It got me thinking.

Imagine a world in which every girl and boy has a fair chance in life. No matter where or under what circumstances they are born, all children should have the same opportunity to survive, grow up healthy and well-nourished, live in dignity, play, learn and be protected.

That world is possible. However, at the moment millions of children don’t have equal chances. When children start life on an unequal playing field, significant disparities emerge between those who have and those who don’t. These inequalities go beyond simple binaries of wealth and poverty. While the gap between ‘the haves and the have-nots’ is at the heart of public concern and policy debates, a narrow focus on income inequality has sometimes deflected attention from broader unequal opportunities — for survival, health, education and nutrition — that shape a child’s life chances.

UNICEF’s recently launched State of the World’s Children report which contains a simple message and an urgent call to action. The message is that the world is falling short on the goal of equity for every child. That means not every child is given the opportunity to survive and thrive.

As a global community, we are allowing extreme inequality between and within nations to undermine the potential of millions of children. Inequality is closely associated with gaps in opportunity for children to survive, thrive, go to school and have a better future. These gaps are not just ethically indefensible, but also undermine prospects for dynamic and inclusive economic growth, erode social cohesion and transmit disadvantage across generations.

The call to action is for us to do everything within our collective capacity to redress the inequities that prevent children from reaching their full potential, starting with the children most left behind. The call is motivated by the conviction that equity is possible.

In 2015, governments came together to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. The goals envisage the eradication of extreme poverty, hunger and avoidable child deaths. Redeeming that pledge has to start with the children who have been left behind.

Breaking the intergenerational cycle of disadvantage that traps these children in poverty in all its dimensions is the right thing to do and is an effective approach to development.

There is an urgent need to tackle the root causes of inequity. Key solutions include child-sensitive social protection informed by child poverty evidence and a greater child and equity focus in public financial policies and accountability. Service delivery also needs to be informed by equity considerations.

In health, ending preventable deaths of newborns, children under age 5 and their mothers by 2030 is the clarion call. Access to safe, effective and affordable interventions must be made available to all, even as underlying drivers of inequitable opportunities in health are addressed.

Closing gaps in access to antenatal care and skilled birth attendance will require governments to review how they frame health strategies, spend money and deploy skilled health personnel. Properly trained and motivated health workers are the lifeblood of efficient and equitable health systems.

The world has never had a greater pool of human potential at risk. Unequal access to school and learning will trap a growing population of young people in low-skilled, poorly paid, insecure employment, hampering economic growth and fuelling inequality. But equipped with the right skills, the young people set to enter labour markets over the next 15 years could be powerful catalysts for human development.

Greater equity is a condition for achieving universal access to education and learning by 2030, and international experience shows that both equity and quality can be achieved.