According to the End of Childhood index by the NGO Save the Children, children generally enjoy a good childhood in Belgium. Indeed, our country comes 10th in the ranking led by Norway, Slovenia and Finland. In the Top 10, only South Korea, Iceland and Norway are outside the European Union.
The data taken into account for this ranking was collected from 172 countries by Save the Children. The index, the results of which appear in the report "Stolen Childhoods", is based on various indicators, such as child marriage or pregnancy, but also child labour, situations considered to mark the end of childhood.
"Belgium shows good results thanks to access to education", explains Karen Mets, the spokesperson for Save the Children. "Only a few other countries perform better in this field. Child marriages and pregnancies are rare. However, a quarter of children are at risk of poverty."
The continent where life is the hardest for children is Africa. For that matter, the ten countries where childhood is most under threat are found there. The countries at the bottom of the index are Angola, Mali and Niger.
The report lists no fewer than 700 million children in the world who are pushed into adult life at an early age and 28 million expatriates. The NGO is pleading for a global solution to this context. "Our report shows that rich countries have the necessary resources", explains the spokesperson.