By Anna Valmero
MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA – There are 1.7 million children in Metro Manila alone who live in squatter areas that lack access to basic services such as shelter, water and sanitation, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Children born in cities account for 60 percent of the increase in urban population, according to the UNICEF report entitled “The State of the World’s Children 2012: Children in an Urban World.”
“When we think of poverty, the image that traditionally comes to mind is that of a child in a rural village.”
“Today, an increasing number of children living in slums and shantytowns are among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable, deprived of the most basic services,” said UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake.
Aside from Metro Manila, the country has 32 urban centers including Cebu, Davao, Cagayan De Oro, Angeles City, Iloilo-Guimaras, Bacolod, Naga, Baguio, Batangas and Dagupan.
But Metro Manila is the densest in population with 11 million individuals, of which 1.7 million are children living in poverty conditions.
Estimates point out that the urban population in the Philippines can grow from the current 49 percent in 2012 to 77 percent by 2030, requiring more coordinated efforts to establish policies and infrastructure to support child growth.
For example, there is still a backlog of half a million housing units in Metro Manila so four out of every 10 residents live in slums with unacceptable sanitary standards.
In urban centers, neonatal mortality rate is at 13 per 1,000 live births while some 20 babies die for every 1,000 live births, and at least 28 kids out of 1,000 die before the age of five, according to another UNICEF report, “Children in an Urban Philippines 2012.”
A factor contributing to this is that infants in urban centers are less likely to be breastfed for the first six months until two years of age than those born in rural villages.
Only 69 percent of slum dwellers in Metro Manila and up to 81 percent of poor people nationwide have access to safe drinking water.
Moreover, there are 240,000 child laborers in the country who live and work in the streets and are vulnerable to human trafficking, sexual exploitation, drug abuse and violence.
Such living conditions rob children of the chance to reach their full potential and overall, it robs society of the economic benefit of having well-educated, healthy urban populations, according to Lake.
Infrastructure and services are not keeping up with urban growth in many regions and children’s basic needs are not met, the UNICEF report noted.
For example, families pay more for substandard services such as water, which can cost 50 times more in poor neighborhoods because families are not connected to water mains.
“Children who live in the poorest urban communities in the country experience multiple deprivations. Each excluded child represents a missed opportunity at achieving a stable and productive society,” said UNICEF representative Dr. Abdul Alim.
A focus on equity is crucial – one in which priority is given to the most disadvantaged children wherever they live.
UNICEF urges the government to put children at the heart of urban planning and to extend services for all. To start this, a more focused, accurate data is needed to identify the child population without access to basic services and this requires coordinated public and private effort hinged on community-based action.
In the country, the Child Friendly Cities Initiative emerges as a good practice in dealing with urban challenges. The program aims to offer services and create protected areas so children can have a safer and healthier childhood.
“Urbanization is a fact of life and we must invest more on cities, focusing greater attention on providing services to the children in greatest need,” said Lake.
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