Concerted efforts needed to make every child count

Rich or poor, every child has rosy dreams. But wars, conflicts and violence in some parts of the world have shattered the children's innocent dreams, and even claimed their tender lives.

In a report on the State of the World's Children, released Thursday, the Universal Children's Day and the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said "too many children remain excluded from the progress of the past 25 years."

It found that the poorest 20 percent of the world's children are twice as likely as the richest 20 percent to be stunted by poor nutrition and to die under age 5.

By conducting interviews with children, parents and UNICEF officials based in conflicts-torn Middle East and poor African countries, Xinhua correspondents have recently found the situation there are more alarming.

In restive Iraq, a 12-year-old boy, whose parents were killed in an air strike, was trained to be a suicide bomber by the Islamic State militants. It is common to see under-15 children recruited by armed groups from all sides of the conflicts to fight battles and work as suicide bombers.

In neighboring Syria, a country gripped by years-long political crisis and violent conflicts, nearly 6 million children have been displaced, said Kumar Tiku, UNICEF Chief of Communication.

In the Gaza Strip, around 1,000 children suffer from permanent disability because of the 50-day Israeli military operation, which ended on Aug. 26, according to a right group based in Gaza.

In Africa, despite great strides in children protection, sexual violence against children, corporal punishment and child marriage still prevail in many countries.

More astonishingly, the United States, the world's biggest developed country, has failed to put its own house in order in protecting the child's rights. A U.S. authoritative report said the tally of homeless children in the country hit a historic high of nearly 2.5 million in 2013, amounting to one child in every 30.

The horrendous reality of the child needs to be urgently addressed, as today's children are tomorrow's masters of the world. To protect them from suffering and provide them with good education is to bless and salvage the future of the world and mankind.

Under the CRC, every child should grow up healthy, educated and able to fulfill their potential and become fully participating citizens.

To stay in line with the CRC, it is strongly desired for world organizations, all countries and regions to move in a quicker manner to stop wars, and find solutions to crises and conflicts with good faith, strong will and wisdom.

Businesses, communities, families and individuals should also increase accountability and pay more attention to the welfare and suffering of the children.

Only with concerted efforts and substantial actions can ensure that every child count, as the UNICEF advocates.