The Netherlands ranks the second place in the Kids Rights Index 2015, the global index that measures how children's rights are respected by countries. Netherlands demonstrates that good steps have been taken in the area of children's rights. At the same time research shows that much can and must be done to maximize the interests of children. For instance by focusing on children's interests in legislation regarding children, promoting child partcipation and reducing discrimination.
The KidsRights Index is the annual global index published by the KidsRights Foundation which ranks how countries adhere to and are equipped to improve children’s rights. The KidsRights Index is an initiative of the KidsRights Foundation, in cooperation with Prof. Dinand Webbink and Prof. Philip Hans Franses of Erasmus School of Economics and Prof. Karin Arts of the International Institute of Social Studies. It comprises a ranking for all UN member states that have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and for which sufficient data is available, a total of 165 countries. The Index pools data from two reputable sources: quantitative data published each year in the ‘State of the World’s Children’ and qualitative data published by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in its Concluding Observations for all countries that participate in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Overall ranking
Norway is this year’s number one overall. Runners up in the top ten are the Netherlands, Portugal, Iceland, Slovakia, Spain, Ireland, Sweden, Tunisia and France. Thailand (25th) and Malaysia (27th) receive honourable mentions. These countries rank relatively high as they do exceptionally well in cultivating an enabling environment for child rights. This year’s overall worst performing countries are Vanuatu, the Central African Republic, Angola, Afghanistan, Chad, Niger, Sierra Leone, Lesotho, Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea.
- More information
The KidsRights Index’s overall ranking 2015, as well as the rankings on the individual domains, are published on http://www.kidsrightsindex.org/. For a summary report of the KidsRights Index and more information about research methods, please visit the KidsRights News Room: kidsrights.pr.co.