New watchdog body for children's rights

A pioneering initiative by five Indian Ocean island countries is expected to keep a close watch on the rights of children in the region. Last month saw the launch of the first-ever regional "observatory" for monitoring progress in efforts to improve the lives of an estimated 9.5 million children in the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion and the Seychelles. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in statement on Friday that the development of a regional database on child rights would provide insight into the needs of children, highlight how much governments had achieved and where progress was lacking. The Observatory, a joint initiative by the Indian Ocean Commission, the University of Mauritius and UNICEF, is expected to pool expertise from the five countries in compiling and analysing data on the plight of children. The institute will have a centre at the University of Mauritius. "There are important social and economic regional disparities: for example, while all children in Reunion and Mauritius attend primary school, about 20 percent of Malagasy children do not go to school," Barbara Bentein, UNICEF's Representative to Madagascar, Mauritius and Comoros, pointed out. An estimated 100,000 children in Madagascar die each year of preventable diseases. "What is lacking ... throughout the region is quality education, and it is important that this is addressed. There is quite a disparity between girl and boy children in the Comoros, in terms of access to education," Bentein noted. "We also hope that, as an independent body, the Observatory will be able to advocate for policies and changes that favour children's wellbeing," she added.