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The UNICEF Child Well-being Benchmarking Scoreboard identifies three aspects: mental well-being, physical health and skills. Based on the overall results of the child well-being assessment, Lithuania is ranked 33rd and according to mental well-being, we are only 36th out of 38 OSCE and EU countries analyzed in the report.
“This is a national crisis and urgent action must be taken”
The report states that Lithuania has the highest number of teenage suicides of all the developed countries studied. Suicide is the leading cause of death among 15-19 year olds. New Zealand and Estonia are not far behind Lithuania.
“The biggest concern is that Lithuania is last of all countries in terms of the number of teenage suicides. Lithuania has not been in the best position for some time and this is really worrying.
When Lithuanian children are interviewed, they are basically satisfied with their quality of life, but the question is, where do we get stuck when a teenager is taking such a step?
We are three times the world average, which probably shows that we are already in crisis. This is a national crisis and urgent action must be taken.
You had to take them before, but if we don’t take them today … We have to understand that we lose all the time or even several times. If we lose our youth, we also lose the future of our country, ”Erika Vėberytė, Executive Director of the Lithuanian National Committee for UNICEF, told the news portal tv3.lt.
Why did Lithuania end?
According to the Executive Director of the Lithuanian National Committee for UNICEF, Lithuania itself should seek concrete answers as to why this happened and this crisis needs to be resolved immediately.
“UNICEF’s role is to help states identify the biggest gaps. What should be done and how? I think it’s up to each country.
I think the system itself, whether it’s educational or mental health, probably needs to change already. We should no longer close the gaps, but look and reform the entire system, if the figures are so unfavorable for our country, ”said E. Vėberytė.
UNICEF used Lithuanian suicide data for 2013-2015 in its report. The number of suicides is reported to be 18.2 per 100,000. population of young people aged 15 to 19 years. Hasn’t the situation changed now?
“It just came to our attention then. My main focus would be that the coronavirus pandemic has caught us unexpectedly and is having a very negative impact on the world of children and their well-being. Schools were closed, the health system was disrupted, slowed down.
We would like things to go well, but probably this pandemic has also affected the economic, social and educational conditions of the children’s world. Therefore, faced with a pandemic, we must be concerned about those aspects that place Lithuania in the lowest positions among developed countries, ”said E. Vėberytė.
In the new report, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway rank best among the EU and OSCE countries in terms of child welfare. It also highlights the threats to the well-being of children posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Suicide, sadness, obesity, and poor communication and learning skills become common among children growing up in rich countries, according to a report released by UNICEF in September.
“If the government does not take urgent and decisive action to protect the well-being of children in response to the effects of the pandemic, we can expect that child poverty will continue to increase, mental and physical health will decline, and segregation of skills will deepen.
The support provided to families and children in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic is woefully low. More needs to be done to make children’s childhoods safe and happy, and do it now, ”said Gunilla Olsson, UNICEF Office Director at Innocenti.
Another problem in Lithuania is scientific achievements.
The UNICEF report states that, on average, 40% of children in all OSCE and EU countries do not have basic reading and math skills until the age of 15.
Children living in Bulgaria, Romania and Chile have the worst abilities. Children from Estonia, Ireland and Finland are the most capable.
According to 2018 data, in Lithuania, 15 m. 61 percent of children with basic reading and math skills. In Lithuania, it ranked 26th in this regard.
“Based on the reading and writing skills of 15-year-olds, we don’t shine. At the same time, the situation in Estonia is different, although we would be like a similar country.
So what are we doing wrong? Where have Estonians been able to do it and create a system where their children come first? We have to care and learn from our neighbor, ”says E. Vėberytė, Executive Director of the Lithuanian National Committee for UNICEF.
We have something to rejoice in
Lithuanian policy guidelines both in the field of health and education have been assessed as good. In the field of education, even second place, and in health, ninth place, according to the guidelines of social policy, the fifteenth place was evaluated.
The state of the country that determines the welfare of children includes policy guidelines and living conditions. According to welfare conditions, Lithuania ranks 15th. We remained 30th in terms of living conditions. These include economic indicators, the public atmosphere, and environmental protection.
The report analyzes the rates of physical activity, overweight and obesity that affect and will affect children today and in the future, as well as infant mortality. In this sense, Lithuania is quite high, at 20th place.
“Lithuania has shown a very good side in some areas of research. Our legal framework is very strong. We are leading by some individual indicators. For example, according to the physical health of children,” said E. Vėberytė.
The legal framework in Lithuania is considered good, but in reality the situation often differs.
“I think that if a law is passed only ‘on paper’, but not enforced or enforced late or incorrectly. If the situation is not reviewed later or if it is improving, then it leads to a closed circle. approves the law, but the situation does not improve. If this is the case, we must review where those gaps are, “said E. Vėberytė.
Consequences of a pandemic
The UNICEF report notes that loss of loved ones, anxiety, restrictions to stay at home, lack of support, closed schools, work-life balance, inadequate access to medical care and loss economic consequences caused by a pandemic have a catastrophic impact on the well-being, mental health and health of children. and physical health and development.
“As the world continues to suffer the economic, educational and social consequences of the pandemic, if we do not make a concerted effort, the negative and devastating effects on the well-being of today’s children, their families and the societies in which they live alone they will increase, “said Olsson, director of the UNICEF office at Innocenti. .
Based on this report and recent events, UNICEF calls for the following measures to protect and enhance the well-being of children:
• take decisive action to reduce income inequality and poverty, and ensure that all children have access to the resources they need;
• urgently close a serious gap in mental health services for children and adolescents;
• improve family-friendly policies to improve work-life balance and, in particular, to ensure quality, flexible and affordable child care in the first years of life;
• intensify efforts to protect children from preventable diseases and, among other things, increase the number of children vaccinated against measles than in recent years;
• Improve policy guidelines to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting families with children and allocating funds for the well-being of children without being affected by austerity measures.
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