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Child, Maternal Deaths Are Falling Faster Than At Any Time In History: U.N.

Child, Maternal Deaths Are Falling Faster Than At Any Time In History: U.N.
Reuters
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Photo essay in Lome, Togo. Medical center for HIV patients. (Photo by: BSIP/UIG via Getty Images)

By Joseph D'Urso

LONDON, March 10 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Maternal and child death rates fell in every one of the poorest 49 countries in the world between 2010 and 2013, largely as a result of a U.N. initiative launched in 2010, the world body said on Tuesday.

"The world is currently reducing under-five and maternal deaths faster than at any time in history," U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement. "Since 1990, maternal deaths have been cut by almost half; some 17,000 fewer children die each day."

East African countries saw particularly strong progress, with child death rates falling by 14.9 percent or more in Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

There was also good news from Haiti, which had an under five mortality rate of 17.4 percent in 2010 when the island was devastated by an earthquake. This plummeted to 7.3 percent in 2013.

Falls in maternal mortality were most pronounced in Afghanistan, where the rate fell 20 percent between 2010 and 2013, and in Zimbabwe, which saw a fall of 22.9 percent.

Overall, the deaths of 2.4 million women and children have been averted since 2010, the report said.

The U.N. credits its 'Every Woman Every Child' (EWEC) initiative, part of the broader Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health, with the reduction in deaths. The strategy was launched by Ban in 2010.

EWEC takes the form of a global public health partnership between governments, NGOs and the private sector.

There have been "substantial increases" in oral rehydration therapy, exclusive breastfeeding and preventing mother-child HIV transmission, the report said, with "important gains" in family planning, antenatal care, skilled birth attendance and post-natal care.

But two other goals, care for pneumonia and expanding childhood vaccines, have seen "limited progress."

"There is still too much needless suffering," Ban said.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said in a statement that "education empowers women and girls to live healthier lives and as a result, fewer children are dying."

The initiative has now set its sights on ending all preventable deaths of women and children.

"We need to look for new partnerships and new funding mechanisms," Solberg said. (Editing by Tim Pearce) ;))

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Before You Go

10 Worst Countries For Women
Morocco(01 of10)
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10. Morocco> Female-to-male income ratio: 0.28 (tied 8th worst)> Labor force participation (m/f): 79% / 27%> Literacy rate (m/f): 76% / 58%> Pct. women in parliament: 17%Morocco was one of the worst rated countries for women, according to the WEF’s 2014 Global Gender Gap Index. Few nations had a greater disparity between men’s and women’s participation in the economy. Just 27% of Moroccan women were in the labor force, well below the 79% participation rate for men. Further, women with jobs earned an average of just $3,123 annually, versus nearly $11,000 for men — more than three times as much. Morocco also has a considerable gap in literacy rates. Just 58% of women were considered literate versus 76% of men. (credit:Wolfgang Kaehler via Getty Images)
Jordan(02 of10)
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9. Jordan> Female-to-male income ratio: 0.18 (tied- 3rd worst)> Labor force participation (m/f): 69% / 16%> Literacy rate (m/f): 98% / 97%> Pct. women in parliament: 12%Just 16% of Jordanian women participated in the labor force, one of the worst rates in the world. The difference in incomes between men and women was also among the world’s worst. While the average man in Jordan earned $19,300 annually, higher than in more than half of all countries reviewed by the WEF, the average woman earned only roughly 18% of that, or $3,442 on average. Additionally, despite the prominent international role played by Queen Rania of Jordan, women in general have limited representation in the country’s political offices. Just 12% of parliament seats and 11% of ministerial positions were held by women, both among the lower rates in the world. (credit:Rolf Bach via Getty Images)
Lebanon(03 of10)
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8. Lebanon> Female-to-male income ratio: 0.27 (7th worst)> Labor force participation (m/f): 76% / 26%> Literacy rate (m/f): 93% / 86%> Pct. women in parliament: 3%Few nations were rated worse than Lebanon for women’s political empowerment. Just 3% of seats in Lebanon’s parliament were held by women, one of the absolute lowest rates. Further, none of the country’s ministerial positions were occupied by women. One problem for many women in the country may be that religious laws cover issues of personal status, such as marriage and divorce. Despite passing a new anti-domestic violence law in April 2014, Human Rights Watch said the country still has significant room for improvement. In particular, the organization said that “Exempting matters governed by personal status laws from the domestic violence law undermines women’s security in the home.” (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Cote d’Ivoire(04 of10)
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7. Cote d’Ivoire> Female-to-male income ratio: 0.49 (38th worst)> Labor force participation (m/f): 82% / 53%> Literacy rate (m/f): 52% / 30%> Pct. women in parliament: 9%The gap in educational attainment between men and women is especially problematic in Cote d’Ivoire. Although the 52% literacy rate among men in the country was quite low, women’s literacy rate was even lower, at only 30%. Enrollment of women at every level of school is also very low. Just 56% of primary school-aged girls were enrolled in school, among the lowest rates in the world. By secondary school, the enrollment rate dropped to 14%. Limited access to schooling, for both genders, also contributed to Cote d’Ivoire’s low score on the Human Development Index, where it ranked in the lowest decile of all countries. According to UNICEF, “The low education rate is essentially due to the insufficient educational offer[ings]: not enough teachers and school buildings.” The organization added, “Children who go to school do not always benefit from quality teaching” in Cote d’Ivoire. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Iran(05 of10)
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6. Iran> Female-to-male income ratio: 0.17 (the worst)> Labor force participation (m/f): 76% / 17%> Literacy rate (m/f): 89% / 79%> Pct. women in parliament: 3%Iran has some of the world’s greatest disparities in labor force participation and incomes. Just 17% of women were in the labor force, versus 76% of men. And women earned an average of just $4,656 annually, versus $26,644 for men. According to a Reuters story published in May, an edict, issued by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to increase the country’s population has concerned many reformers already worried about women’s limited role in the workforce. Further, few nations rank worse for women’s participation in politics. In fact, Iran disqualified all female candidates in the last presidential election. According to Human Rights Watch, women need a male guardian’s approval to marry, and travel internationally. (credit:ATTA KENARE via Getty Images)
Mali(06 of10)
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5. Mali> Female-to-male income ratio: 0.41 (23rd worst)> Labor force participation (m/f): 82% / 52%> Literacy rate (m/f): 43% / 25%> Pct. women in parliament: 10%Mali has some of the worst disparities between men and women in both educational attainment and health. Among the reasons for this are the low literacy rate for women of just 25% and the low primary school enrollment rate of 64%, both among the worst worldwide. Also, women had a healthy life expectancy of just 48 years — among the lowest in the world. Mali was one of just three nations where the healthy life expectancy of women was lower than that of men. In 2012, religious extremists briefly seized a large portion of northern Mali before being pushed back by a French-led intervention. In the time these groups occupied the country they were accused of numerous human rights atrocities against women. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Syria(07 of10)
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4. Syria> Female-to-male income ratio: N/A> Labor force participation (m/f): 76% / 14%> Literacy rate (m/f): 91% / 79%> Pct. women in parliament: 12%Syria had some of the worst gender gaps for economic participation. Just 14% of women in the country were in the labor force, versus 76% of men. Further, the country also ranked poorly for women’s political empowerment. Just 12% of parliamentary positions and 9% of all ministerial positions were held by women. Syria ranked as one of the worst countries for women despite a far higher healthy life expectancy for women. While women were expected to live 65 years in good health, men were expected to live only 55 years in good health. One reason behind this disparity is likely the ongoing conflict in Syria, which remains extremely violent and unresolved. Recently, the United States began launching airstrikes in Syria as part of its plans to combat the terrorist group ISIL. (credit:BULENT KILIC via Getty Images)
Chad(08 of10)
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3. Chad> Female-to-male income ratio: 0.62 (52nd best)> Labor force participation (m/f): 79% / 65%> Literacy rate (m/f): 47% / 28%> Pct. women in parliament: 15%Chad is one of the lowest-rated countries on the United Nation’s Human Development Index. It has suffered from chronic regional instability, including spillover from conflicts in Darfur and in Central African Republic. Unlike most nations on this list, disparities in work opportunities and incomes are not especially large in Chad. However, this could be due in large part to the population’s heavy reliance on subsistence agriculture. Chad ranked as the worst country in the world for gender-driven disparities in educational attainment. Just 28% of women in the country could read and only 55% of school-age girls were enrolled in primary school, both among the worst rates in the world. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Pakistan(09 of10)
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2. Pakistan> Female-to-male income ratio: 0.18 (tied-3rd worst)> Labor force participation (m/f): 86% / 25%> Literacy rate (m/f): 67% / 42%> Pct. women in parliament: 21%Pakistan is among the nations with the widest disparities between women and men in economic participation and opportunity. For example, just one-quarter of Pakistani women were in the labor force, versus 86% of men. Similarly, the disparity in educational attainment is also quite large. Just 67% of school-aged girls in Pakistan attended primary school, a figure that falls to just 31% for secondary school. By contrast, enrollment rates for boys were 77% and 41%, respectively. Even worse was the gap in literacy rate between females and males — just 42% of women could read versus 67% of men. (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Yemen(10 of10)
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1. Yemen> Female-to-male income ratio: 0.28 (tied-8th worst)> Labor force participation (m/f): 74% / 26%> Literacy rate (m/f): 83% / 50%> Pct. women in parliament: 0%Yemen is the world’s worst country for women in 2014, according to the WEF. In addition to being one of the worst countries in women’s economic participation and opportunity, Yemen received some of the world’s worst scores in relative educational attainment and political participation for females. Just half of women in the country could read, versus 83% of men. Further, women accounted for just 9% of ministerial positions and for none of the positions in parliament. Child marriage is a huge problem in Yemen. According to Human Rights Watch, as of 2006, 52% of Yemeni girls were married before they reached 18, and 14% were married before they reached 15 years of age. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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