Share & more
The plight of the nation's children, contained in UNICEF's 1999 Progress of Nations report launched in Freetown on Thursday, should spur the nation into improving their condition, Kabbah has said.
"As a president, it is painful to learn that Sierra Leone is the second most risky country in the world for a child to live in," he said in a statement published by UNICEF.
According to the report, Sierra Leonean children stand a 30-percent chance of dying before the age of five years. UNICEF has decided to focus on eradicating polio and Vitamin A deficiency, to provide safe motherhood and to rehabilitate child victims of war.
Launching the progress report, UNICEF representative in Sierra Leone JoAnna Van Garpen appealed for the release of all non-combatants and child soldiers, as well as for their reintegration into families, schools and communities. She also called for the provision of better information to young people on the risks of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
