Rabat – In its third annual report, the humanitarian organization Save the Children’s 2019 Global Childhood Report ranked Morocco 83rd out of 176 countries, with a score of 864 in terms of children’s access to basic human rights.
The UK-based nonprofit’s report shows that Morocco has made significant progress between the years of 2000 and 2019, where it scored 774 on a scale of 1000 points, a 90-point increase in the End of Childhood Index.
The index shows how well children have access to healthcare, education, nutrition, and protection from abusive practices such as child labor and underage marriage.
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Despite persistent childhood-related issues facing a number of countries, the report brings hope. It stated that children today are much better off at achieving their full potential than ever before.
Singapore took the lead with a total of 989 points, outranking leading countries such as Sweden, Finland, and Norway.
The highest-scoring Arab country was Qatar at number 40 with a score of 933, followed by the United Arab Emirates, which ranked 43, scoring 931.
Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon came in at 44, 45, and 47 respectively, leaving behind Algeria and Morocco.
The 68-page report also found that the world has managed to cut the rate of child mortality by half, with over 50 million children saved since 2000 thanks to protections against deadly diseases such as malaria and pneumonia.
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The number of children under age 5 who died in 2000 reached nearly 10 million compared to 2017, which saw 5.4 million deaths.
Child labor rates also saw a dramatic decline of 40%, the report shows, despite falling short of the 2050 target to end all forms of child labor.
The report shows that 173 countries out of 176 have improved the situation of children in the past 20 years through enrolling children in school, providing better access to health care, and reducing malnutrition.
