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Morocco Secures Second Place Among Maghreb Countries in Global Children’s Rights Index

Monday 22 July 2024 - 11:00

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Morocco has clinched the 54th spot out of 194 nations in the 2024 KidsRights Index, with a commendable score of 0.776. This ranking, the 12th iteration of the world's sole annual assessment of countries' performance on children's rights, places Morocco second among its Maghreb peers, trailing only Tunisia.

The KidsRights Index, spearheaded by the Netherlands-based KidsRights Foundation in partnership with Erasmus University Rotterdam, meticulously evaluates countries' adherence to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The index assesses five pivotal domains: the right to life, health, education, protection, and an enabling environment for child rights, utilizing comprehensive data from UNICEF, the UNDP, and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

This year's report casts a somber light on how the "polycrisis" a convergence of armed conflicts, economic upheavals, climate disasters, and the lingering effects of COVID-19 is eroding progress in safeguarding child well-being globally.

The year 2023 witnessed a troubling 21% surge in severe violations against children in conflict zones such as Ukraine, Gaza, Israel, and Sudan. Although immunization rates are rebounding in developing nations post-pandemic, Western Europe faces a disconcerting regression.

Globally, only one-third of child-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on track for 2030. By the decade's end, only one in four of the world's children will reside in countries meeting child-focused SDG targets, leaving nearly 2 billion children behind.

"Considering the exponential increase in the adverse impact of polycrisis on children, the need for a concrete recovery plan is pertinent," remarked Marc Dullaert, KidsRights’ Founder and Chairman. "I believe that the findings and figures from the KidsRights Index will aid in crafting a robust recovery plan."

The index also incorporates external factors. For the second consecutive year, it includes an experimental sixth domain evaluating countries' climate change mitigation efforts. This addition acknowledges the existential threat global warming poses to realizing children's rights both presently and in the future.

With the climate factor considered, Denmark, Finland, and Luxembourg emerge as the top performers, while Chad, Afghanistan, and Niger occupy the bottom positions. Morocco, with a score of 0.65 in the climate-adjusted index, ranks 73rd.

The 2024 KidsRights Index stands as an urgent call to action for policymakers, governments, civil society, and the international community to leverage its insights to defend the rights and future of every child. As Dullaert emphasized, "I hope that [they] can utilize the Index to work towards upholding children’s rights."

This comprehensive report underscores the pressing need for a unified global effort to address the myriad challenges facing children today, ensuring their rights and well-being are prioritized in every corner of the world.