According to a document published by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), the significant progress made by the Dominican economy over the last few years has not been sufficient to improve the lives of children and adolescents in the poorest areas of the country.
The inequality, according to the data, is reflected in the high level of infant mortality (32 for every 1000 live births compared to 23 in the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean) despite the fact that 98% of births are attended by qualified personnel.
In terms of malnutrition rates, which are at 3.1% nationally, they increase to 10.5% in the border area and 14% among children of Haitian women.
The report also highlights the low level of attendance at high school, which is 52% among teenage girls and 37% among boys and the proliferation of abuse, sexual exploitation and child trafficking.
According to Unicef, one of the main challenges facing the country is access to quality basic social services to help this group get out of poverty with the data showing that 12.9% of children between 5 and 14 are working compared to 8% in the region as a whole and 20.8% of children under the age of five do not have a birth certificate compared to 9% in Latin America and the Caribbean.
www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2013/1/9/261515/Unicef-Continua-desigualdad-entre-los-menores-de-edad-de-RD