Children

Primary school enrollment for children between 6 and 11 years of age in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan increased from 87 per cent in 1991 to 97.1 per cent in 2015.  This progress has been made through the strong efforts by the Government of Jordan to make primary education free and compulsory for all. In accordance with Provisional Education Act No. 27 (1998) primary education is now free and compulsory for all Jordanians between 6 and 16 years of age.

According to Morocco’s Education Policy and Data Center 2015, 26 per cent of children between the ages of 15-24 receive no education while children who receive primary and secondary education have a completion percentage of 4 per cent and 2 per cent, respectively.  In 2008 the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco launched the Tayssir Programme, a pilot cash transfer scheme designed to compliment free and compulsory primary education in order to provide students in rural areas with the assistance required to complete primary school.

In the Republic of Tunisia primary education in Tunisia for students between 6 and 11 years of age increased from 88 per cent in 1991 to 98 per cent in 2009 and remained at this percentage in 2014. This progress has been achieved through strong government efforts, which has made primary education free and compulsory for all. In accordance with Act No. 91-65 passed in 1991, students can attend school for free and is compulsory for all students between 6 and 16 years of age.

As of 2015, children in the Republic of South Africa accounted for 29.24 per cent of the population. In 1998 the Government of South Africa introduced the Child Support Grant (CSG) in order to address the basic needs of this group through a cash transfer scheme.

In the Republic of Mozambique children under the age of 14 represented an overwhelming 45.3 per cent of the population in 2015. In 2004 the Government of Mozambique made advancements toward protecting the rights of children through guaranteeing their security in the 2004 Constitution of Mozambique. The new Mozambican Constitution specifies the rights of children to receive protection and care and upholds the responsibility of society, family and State in order to guarantee the rights of boys and girls.

According to the World Bank, those under 14 years of age make up 16.3 per cent of the entire population of the Republic of Cuba and according to UNICEF’s report of Cuba; there is a 100 per cent level of literacy as of 2012. High literacy has been achieved as part of the Government of Cuba’s strong efforts to move toward universal and integrated social protection for all. As such, Cuba has one of the highest school attendance rates in the region and its boys and girls have enjoyed access to free education since 1989.

In 2015, the population of Argentina’s children account for more than a quarter of the total population.  In 2009 the Government of Argentina launched the Asignación Universal por Hijo (AUH), or Universal Child Allowance, in order respond to the impacts of the global financial crisis on household income and consolidate various non-contributory programmes implemented in the past, such as the Heads of Households Programme. The AUH is administered by the National Social Security Administration and is the third pillar of the Argentinean Family Allowances Regime, complementing programme

In 2015, almost a quarter of Brazil’s population was under the age of 14 years of age, with an estimate of 200,000 to 8 million children living on the streets whom live in poverty. The Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil adopted constitutional provisions in 1988 in order to ensure the rights of children and acknowledge the responsibility of the State in the provision of social services for all boys and girls.

The beginning of 2017 marks Jamaica’s population of persons under 14 at 30.1 per cent of the population. In order to address high poverty among children, the Government of Jamaica began implementing the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) in 2000. PATH is a conditional cash transfer scheme for families designed specifically to meet the developmental needs of vulnerable boys and girls. PATH is implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, which operates the cash transfer and programme activities.

In 2016, children make up 35 per cent of the total population of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and 93.56 percent were enrolled in primary education. Working toward 100 per cent enrollment,  in 2010 the Government of Pakistan adopted amendments to the 1973 Constitution extending the right to social security for all children.