Higher poverty rate clouds Child Day

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When Canada signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990, there were hopes it would be lead to improvements in the lot of children. However, the Child Welfare League of Canada (CWLC), which is cosponsoring the conference, says there has yet to be measurable progress in reducing the incidence of child poverty, abuse and maltreatment, school drop-out rates, youth unemployment and family violence.

• The number of poor children has increased; child poverty rose by 55% between 1989 and 1993, according to Campaign 2000, which is tracking Canada's progress in eliminating child poverty by the turn of the century.

• Canada has the second highest rate of poverty among industrialized nations, second only to the US.

• Young families with children are falling further behind economically.

• Canada has a high teenage suicide rate and youth unemployment remains high.

• The country's failure to nurture children is reflected in the costs of crime, incarceration, low labour productivity, drop-out and illiteracy rates, health care and financial support for the unemployed.

A background paper prepared for the conference says Canada has several major areas of concern in its treatment of children, including child abuse and violence within families, and child poverty, especially among in single-parent and aboriginal families.

One of the conference's goals is to build support for a national action plan for children and young people, a CWLC report states. Proposed recommendations include the appointment of a national commissioner for children and making investment in children and young people a budgetary priority. The CWLC and the Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies are cosponsoring the conference; for information, call 613 235-4412; cwlc.magi.com (email).