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Young people via Shutterstock

Ireland is the 10th best place in the world to be a child

But UNICEF warns childhood must be protected during economic downturn.

IRELAND IS AMONG the top 10 best places in the world to be a child according to UNICEF.

The research that spanned 10 years (2001-2010) shows a decade of steady progress for Ireland’s children.

Among 29 OECD countries, Ireland placed 10th with 86 per cent of children saying they are happy with their lives.

The country has a relatively low child poverty rate of 8.5 per cent but those who do fall below the poverty line, falls harder than in other countries, giving Ireland one of the largest child poverty gaps.

The report also shows:

  • A significant decline in children smoking and more modest declines in drinking and teenage pregnancies.
  • Ireland has the highest rate of children exercising with almost 1 in 3 children exercising for at least an hour a day. Also, 70 per cent of children eat breakfast every day.
  • Over 15 per cent of children in Ireland are overweight by BMI, which puts Ireland ahead of the UK, Germany and France.
  • The number of 15-19-year-olds not in education, employment or training puts Ireland at the bottom of table.
  • One of only five countries to experience an increase bullying during the 2000s. One quarter of children would not label classmates as being kind.
  • Children in Ireland find it easiest to talk to their mothers (83 per cent) followed by fathers (68 per cent).

Although Peter Power, Executive Director of UNICEF Ireland welcomed the report, but said it was important that children below the poverty line are not forgotten:

We are in danger of leaving our most vulnerable groups of children behind. There are young people finishing school faced with an uncertain future who need more options for further education and training.

UNICEF’s ‘Report Card 11 – Child well-being in rich countries’ was launched in Dublin by Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Frances Fitzgerald as part of Ireland’s Presidency of the EU.

Globally, Report Card 11 shows a decade of progress with the Netherlands retaining its position at number one, followed by four more Nordic countries – Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

Read: Happy International Day of the Girl >

More: Ireland increases aid for Horn of Africa famine victims >

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    Mute Jason Walsh
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    Feb 8th 2022, 2:04 PM

    It will only solve the cities traffic problems if the streets in the city aren’t changed in tandem with the road being built. One way streets, pedestrian only streets, wider footpaths, cycle paths, removal of parking. Galway City Council need to look at that starting now and be ready to go with changes.

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    Mute Finnster
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    Feb 8th 2022, 9:32 PM

    @Jason Walsh: why don’t you worry about Kildare Jason and leave Galway to be sorted by the Galwegians

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    Mute Uinseann Ó Gairbhith
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    Feb 8th 2022, 3:15 PM

    More roads = more cars

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    Mute Dermot Sexton
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    Feb 8th 2022, 4:27 PM

    @Uinseann Ó Gairbhith: It does ya. I remember when I bought my first car in 1996, it was purely to tear up and down the new stretch of dual carraigeway on the Ennis rd at the time. I wouldn’t have bothered otherwise.

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    Mute ChronicAnxiety
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    Feb 8th 2022, 3:11 PM

    Ring roads make traffic worse.

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    Mute Thomas O' Donnell
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    Feb 8th 2022, 3:19 PM

    @ChronicAnxiety: Not really. Ring roads tend to get built in areas of growth. So traffic would be getting busier in these places anyway. Also, they sometimes take traffic away from other areas to make them more liveable/workable.

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    Mute Stephen Walshe
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    Feb 8th 2022, 9:19 PM

    @Thomas O’ Donnell: eh nooooo the ring road around limerick was the making of the city

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    Mute Dave Nolan
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    Feb 8th 2022, 10:21 PM

    Friends of the Irish Environment seem to be prolific serial objectors. Be it cable cars, drainage projects, turf cutting, tree planting/tree felling and now ring roads.

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Feb 8th 2022, 2:18 PM

    Needs more money than Irish people are willing to pay.

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    Mute Baile na Rí
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    Feb 8th 2022, 7:40 PM

    Back to NIMBYism

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    Mute Derrick Hambleton
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    Feb 8th 2022, 4:30 PM

    Bit like plans for a Deep Water Port for Galway from 1851, which has never been built since. Though plans still being progressed, if you call it that, today? Also, not a solution but a white elephant and still nobody is listening!

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    Mute Ian Hester
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    Feb 9th 2022, 1:57 PM

    Cost of living, rents energy :fuel food etc equals less cars in the future

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