The State of the World�s Children 2005: Childhood Under Threat
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Published by the United Nations Children�s Fund (UNICEF), 2004
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There have been significant advances in the fulfilment of chil-
dren�s rights to survival, health and education through the pro-
vision of essential goods and services, and a growing recogni-
tion of the need to create a protective environment to shield
children from exploitation, abuse and violence since the Conven-
tion on the Rights of the Child has been adopted by the UN Gen-
eral Assembly in 1989. Worryingly, however, in several regions
and countries some of these gains appear in danger of reversal
from three key threats: poverty, armed conflict and HIV/AIDS.
The rights of over 1 billion children are violated because they
are severely underserved of at least one or more of the basic
goods and services required to survive, grow and develop. Swift
and decisive action is required to reduce the poverty that chil-
dren experience, protect them from armed conflict and support
those orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS.