UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children Report 2013 focused on children with disabilities

Date: 3rd June 2013
Category: Education, Leisure and Cultural Activities
Author: UNICEF

UNICEF's 2013 'State of the World's Children' report is focused on children with disabilities and was launched on 29th May 2013.

Some 93 million children worldwide - 1 in 29 of those aged 14 or younger - live with a disability. The report uncovers the unsurprising link between poverty and disability, and demonstrates the long-last impact of growing up in a society that is unable or unwilling to adapt to the needs of children with disabilities.

The report condemns the traditional response to the situation of children with disabilities that has historically been that of institutionalisation, abandonment or neglect, rooted in negative assumptions of incapacity, dependency and difference.

The recommendations contained in the report focus, primarily, on fighting discrimination and enhancing the awareness of disability among the general public, decision-makers and service providers. The report calls for dismantling barriers to inclusion to children's environments (schools, health facilities, public transport), ending institutionalisation of children with disabilities and supporting families so that they can meet the higher costs of living associated with caring for a child with disabilities.

The 2013 report (including an easy-to-read version), together with supporting materials and videos, can be found on the UNICEF website.

• Visit the UNICEF website here
• Download the 2013 report here