MARKHAM, Ontario – 13 November 2024 –A new report released to mark the 35th anniversary of the Convention of the Rights of the Child on November 20, indicates that Canada’s global ranking on women and children’s rights has fallen to 20th in the world. According to the ChildFund Alliance World Index, which ranks 157 countries according to 30 different criteria, Canada’s ranking has fallen steadily since 2015 due to such factors as the environment, human capital and violence against children. Children Believe, the alliance’s Canadian member, urges Canada to demonstrate greater rights leadership both at home and abroad as it assumes the G7 presidency in 2025.
“This report should be a wake-up call for the Government of Canada,” says Fred Witteveen, President & CEO of Children Believe. “To build on our Feminist International Assistance Policy, Canada must put more money where its mouth is and make fresh commitments to support the rights of women and children here at home and abroad. A critical contributor to global economic growth, safety and security is to ensure the most vulnerable children, especially girls, have access to their right to an education and to include them in decisions that affect their lives. Because education means choices and is the most powerful tool for all children, everywhere, to be able to change their lives for the better.”
Starting in Budget 2025, Children Believe, as part of the Canadian International Education Policy Working Group (CIEPWG) is calling on the Government of Canada to commit $650 million in new and additional resources towards its Official Development Assistance envelope every year for the next four years (2025-2029). The coalition is asking that Canada helps ensure that all girls and boys complete at least 12 years of education because it improves their future incomes, their health, their choice to marry later and ultimately to be more active and productive in their communities.
“Despite Canada’s disappointing ranking on rights, we still enjoy much greater access than other places in the world that need our support. In 2025, Canada must put access to global education firmly back on the G7 leader’s agenda to not only solidify Charlevoix’s legacy – but expand it.”
Children Believe is dedicated to removing the barriers to education, including rights violations. Last year, over 417,000 children, youth, women, parents, and duty-bearers, from 762 community groups across Children Believe’s six countries of operation, benefited from the organization’s work to prevent various forms of violence, neglect, and abuse.
“Children Believe works in some of the world’s toughest places like Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and Mali which all rank in the bottom 10 of the World Index,” says Witteveen. “We look forward to our ongoing partnership with the Government of Canada to improve lives in these places to build a more just and prosperous world for everyone”.
CHILDFUND ALLIANCE WORLD INDEX: KEY FINDINGS
- Canada’s ranking on the index has been declining over the past ten years. In 2015 Canada was ranked #11, in 2020 it was #15 and in 2021 it was #19.
- In 2023, one in three children and more than one in four women lived in countries with minimal implementation of human rights protections. At the current pace, it may take 113 years to fully implement the rights assessed in this Index.
- While access to information and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) services has improved, today’s societies are generally less democratic and secure for women and children. While child health outcomes have improved, educational rights have not progressed since 2020, a stagnation partly due to pandemic impacts.
- Though women’s education levels and participation in decision-making are increasing, they remain among the most vulnerable and marginalized groups, facing the highest likelihood of human rights abuses worldwide.
HOW CANADIANS CAN HELP
This holiday season Canadians can help disrupt rights violations by empowering women and children. Donations to Help Where Most Needed in Children Believe’s gift catalogue will protect them from grave dangers like violence, abuse and exploitation.