Globally, one-third or 32 per cent of children say their rights to protection are not being met, according to a survey of over 6,000 children by ChildFund Alliance.
The international study also found that one in five children globally or 19 per cent said that children in their countries were never or rarely protected from physical or psychological abuse.
One in five children surveyed globally or 20 per cent also said children were rarely or never protected from doing harmful work in their countries.
The fifth annual Small Voices Big Dreams Survey, undertaken by ChildFund Alliance, is one of the most comprehensive polls of children's views in the world.
This year, to mark the 20th anniversary of the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child, 6,040 children aged 10 to 12 years in 44 countries across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia, were asked for their views on child rights.
The study which was made available to the Ghana News Agency on Thursday by William Anim-Dankwa, Communications Manager, Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC), said this was a far bigger concern for children in developing countries, or 28 per cent than children in developed countries or eight per cent.
“More than two decades on from world governments ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child, it is evident that far too many children are still not being protected from the worst excesses of violence and exploitation. Children’s views reflect this distressing fact,” said Mark Lukowski CCFC Chief Executive Officer.
The poll found some marked differences in responses between children in developing countries and their peers in the developed world.
When asked which rights for children are not being upheld in their countries, the top response from children surveyed in developing countries, were access to school and time to study or 29 per cent, which was cited by only four per cent of children in developed countries.
However, children in both developed and developing countries are equally concerned about the lack of protection from abuse, violence and murder, or 15 per cent.
When asked how well children in their countries are protected from being hurt or mistreated, more than half or 57 per cent of children in developed countries said children are always or often protected, compared with a third or 33 per cent of children in developing countries.
Children in developing countries are also more concerned about child labour. When asked how well children in their countries are protected from doing harmful work, 70 per cent of children in developed countries responded always or often, compared with only 30 per cent of children in developing countries.
Mr Lukowski said children in countries such as Burkina Faso, 70 per cent and Guatemala, 48 per cent are more likely to identify access to school and study, as a right than children in developed countries such as Canada and Germany, two per cent.
“Children in developing countries put a much greater value on education, because it offers a way out of extreme poverty. Unfortunately, it is still denied to many, whereas it is a right that children in wealthier countries often take for granted. It’s a difference in opinion that has been reflected in past years’ survey results.”
When children were asked how they would improve children’s lives in their countries if they were leaders, almost 40 per cent of children worldwide said they would focus on education and learning opportunities for other children.
“Children are clearly concerned about similar rights with some unsurprising differences across regions,” said Mr Lukowski.
“Most disturbing is the worldwide concern that all children say that they are not being protected from harm. While this is disproportionately higher in developing countries, it is clearly a fear shared by children everywhere and one that world leaders need to address with urgency.”
