Admin is pleased to share with users the news that Wednesday 27 September was the site’s busiest day ever.
As always, social media is our biggest referrer. we had over 14,000 new users (45% from the USA) come to the site to read about New Zealand’s appalling international record for childhood rights.
Have you got an article you’d like to see published here? Leave it in the comments section.
Our greatest number of hits on Wednesday came from Facebook, this was the article most people were interested in:
Worst Places to be a Child. NZ Ranked 158 out of 165 for childhood rights
New Zealand has plummeted in this year’s children’s rights index
A European advocacy group has placed New Zealand 158th in a field of 165 countries for children’s rights, putting the country on a par with much of central Africa and Saudi Arabia.
The Amsterdam based Kids Rights Foundation and Erasmus University measured five key domains in the 2017 KidsRights Index:-
1. Right to Life:
2. Right to Health
3. Right to Education
4. Right to Protection
5. Enabling Environment for Child Rights
This is a global ranking that charts countries’ performance records for children’s rights. The scope of the report is unique in that it collects data from various reputable sources and identifies global themes and trends in the field of children’s rights.
Portugal is placed top in the index due to its strong performances in the areas of child legislation, health and education.
Notable examples of under performing countries include the United Kingdom, which fell from11th to 156 place, and New Zealand which plummeted from 45th down to the depths of 158th. The country has been urged to do more to foster the rights of its youngest generation.
Overall, the Index shows that industrialised nations are falling drastically short of allocating sufficient budgets towards creating a stable environment for children’s rights. Although many poorer states deserve praise for their efforts relative to their budgets and means, it is alarming that the industrialised world is neglecting its leadership responsibilities and failing to invest in the rights of children to the best of its abilities.
Consider, for example, the industrialised nations the UK and New Zealand, which this year both hold bottom-ten positions following very poor performances in domain 5, i.e. Child Rights Environment. The methodology for obtaining the final score in the Index is such that extremely poor performances in one domain cannot be compensated by higher scores in other areas, as all children’s rights are equally important. Extreme underperformance in one of the domains therefore creates an insurmountable bottleneck that automatically demotes the concerned country to the lower-most region of the Index… source
New Zealand…should be able to invest more in children’s right, but fail(s) to do so sufficiently…source
New Zealand’s record
New Zealand’s walk of shame:
New Zealand’s record in the 2016 study showed six times the lowest score for non-discrimination, best interests of the child, respect for the views of the child, enabling legislation, budget, and data. Furthermore, the country has no maximum or average scores on record.
Three of the indicators from 2016 were the same as they were in 2011 (respect for the views of the child, enabling legislation, and state-civil society cooperation) while two (best interests and data) improved from non-available to the lowest score possible.
New Zealand’s scores for non-discrimination and budget fell from an average to the lowest score, but itsscores remain incomplete – there was no score for state-civil society cooperation in either 2011 or 2016.
Thinking about emigrating to provide a better life for your children? Why not pick from one of these countries
and give these a miss…
You may also be interested in
The most remote country on earth has been failing its youth for years (our many youth crime and poverty articles are a testament to that) but now poverty among it’s children is becoming officially recognised.
Children in New Zealand are in more hardship than in any comparable European country, according to New Zealand’s own Ministry of Social Development.
While some European countries are excluded, Estonia, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are included because “their rankings are now often in the same ballpark as New Zealand” (source MOSD). Actually, their rankings are far better than New Zealand’s:… read on
Amnesty International; UNICEF and OECD: NZ’s Human Rights Record Stained by Child Poverty, Lack of Investment in its Young:
New Zealand’s high level of child poverty, violence against women and a proposed law affecting asylum seekers came under fire in Amnesty International’s Annual Report on the state of the world’s human rights.
New Zealand faces most criticism within the country for its high levels of child poverty, according to Grant Bayldon, Executive Director of Amnesty International in New Zealand.
“The mention of up to 270,000 children living in poverty in this global report is a stain on New Zealand’s human rights record.
It further reinforces the need for New Zealand to protect and respect all human rights in New Zealand law.
“States have obligations to protect, respect and fulfill (sic) rights for all people, for those living in poverty, and also asylum seekers and refugees…
A UNICEF report published last month also criticised New Zealand’s record forchild well being across a variety of measures, including ranking it 21st out of 35 developed countries for levels of child poverty… read on
New Zealand Is Conspicuous by its Absence from the Economist’s Safe Cities Index:
Zealand is often marketed to migrants, students and tourists as a “safe place”. However, the country has a problem with crime, poverty and digital security that is more comparable to what one would find in a developing country.
If you’re looking for a safe place in these turbulent times you may wish to look for somewhere other than New Zealand.
The Economist Safe Cities Index is a report that takes account of 40 qualitative and quantitative indicators under 4 main areas : Personal safety, Infrastructure Safety, Health Security, and Digital Security. It focuses on 50 countries selected for their regional representation and availability of data.
You probably won’t come across the Safe Cities Index in the New Zealand media. Not a single location in New Zealand made the cut… read on
Isolated and Lonely; New Zealanders Fare Worst For Social Connectedness: Sovereign Wellbeing Index:
The latest biennial Sovereign Wellbeing Index has been published, and it’s still not good news for New Zealand, with no improvement since the 2013 survey.
It appears the lack of a social life, and an almost negligible sense of community, is affecting people’s wellbeing in the most remote country on earth (something to consider if you’re from Europe and leaving friends and family to emigrate to New Zealand). Having a support network and somewhere positive to raise your kids is far more important than you’d realise
Kiwis are socially disconnected and it is taking a toll on their wellbeing, according to a new study.
The Sovereign Wellbeing Index 2015 results found almost 40 per cent of New Zealanders only met with others socially once a month or less… read on
A shocking new report from the Salvation Army has found that half of the homeless people in Auckland are under 16 years old, and the government isn’t pulling its weight to help them. Thirty children were found living in cars, and others in garages and camp grounds in in locations sampled by the Salvation Army.
Some of the homeless have waited for more than six months for state housing, but half had never had contact from the Ministry of Social Development.…read on
Migrant Tales – hundreds of first hand accounts of the migrant experience of New Zealand
E2NZ.org 
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