What is the KidsRights Index?The KidsRights Index is a list that indicates how well countries respect children’s rights. How are countries trying to improve children’s rights? Do child refugees, disabled children and street children have a place in society? Do children have a say in matters that concern them? Do they have the opportunity to take action? Child participation is important but often still lacking. Some countries are more developed than others. The index takes this into account. This is why a country might score lower than expected. Because it spends less money on children’s rights than it could, for example. The Index lists all countries which have agreed to respect the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, on which enough information is available. Currently, 182 countries are listed. The KidsRights Index is composed in collaboration with the Erasmus University Rotterdam, located in the Netherlands. CORONA VIRUS PANDEMICAround the globe, children’s rights are seriously affected by the coronavirus outbreak. That’s what Marc Dullaert, founder of KidsRights, said when the KidsRights Index 2020 was presented to the world. In fact, it shows that countries don’t give enough funding for children’s rights. With the economic consequences of the corona crisis, there are no expectations that this will change anytime soon. Also, the measures taken by governments for COVID-19 have a disastrous impact on many children. School are closed in 188 countries, and this affects 1.5 billion children and youth. DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CHILDREN IS A GLOBAL PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY FOR GIRLSA big problem is still ‘discrimination’. More than a third of the countries have the lowest possible score in this area, even in more industrialized countries. For example, Australia has gone from position 19 to 135, because of how it treats asylum seekers, refugees and migrants and because of the discrimination against Aboriginal children, among others. The discrimination of Roma and Gypsy children in the United Kingdom places the country in 169th place. Unfortunately, discrimination against girls worldwide remains a major problem. In 91 of the 182 countries analyzed, girls are discriminated against and do not enjoy the same rights as boys. WHERE IS YOUR COUNTRY AT?Here you can find out in which position you country ranks! What do you think? Is it good or bad? Do you have a plan to make the situation better? Apply for the changemaker program now!