SYDNEY – Mothers in Norway and Australia are in the best nations in the world to bring up their children, while mothers in Afghanistan and many African nations fare worst, according to an annual Mothers’ Index.
The 11th annual Save the Children index, which ranks the best and worst places to be a mother, looks at the wellbeing of women and children in 160 countries. Factors taken into consideration include access to education, economic opportunities and healthcare.
Last year’s list was headed by Sweden but for 2010 Norway came first followed by Australia, Iceland, Sweden and Denmark, with New Zealand, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany rounding out the top 10. Ireland came 11th on the list.
In the bottom 10, Afghanistan ranked last preceded by Niger, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Yemen, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Sudan, Eritrea and Equatorial Guinea. In 2009 Niger was last.
The 2010 list of 43 developed nations and 117 in the developing world highlighted the fact that almost 350,000 women die during pregnancy or childbirth every year and almost nine million children die before their fifth birthday.
“Conditions for mothers and their children in the bottom 10 countries are grim. On average, one in 23 mothers will die from pregnancy-related causes. One child in six dies before his or her fifth birthday, and one child in three suffers from malnutrition,” said Save the Children.
The US came 28th in the list, down from 27 last year, largely as its rate for maternal mortality – one in 4,800 – is one of the highest in the developed world. The US also offers less maternity leave than other wealthy nations.
“While the situation in the US needs to improve, mothers in the developing world are facing far greater risks to their own health and that of their children,” said Mary Beth Powers, vice-chairwoman of Save the Children’s Every One campaign.
“The shortage of skilled birth attendants and challenges in accessing birth control mean that women in countries at the bottom of the list face the most pregnancies and the most risky birth situations, resulting in newborn and maternal deaths.”
According to Save the Children, fewer than 15 per cent of births are attended by skilled health personnel in Afghanistan and Chad with only 6 per cent of births in Ethiopia attended, which compared to skilled staff being present at almost every birth in Norway.
In Niger one woman in seven dies in childbirth. The risk is one in eight in Afghanistan and Sierra Leone compared to Ireland, where the risk is less than one in 47,600.
In Angola, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia, one child in five does not reach his or her fifth birthday.
Save the Children’s Every One campaign was set up with the aim of cutting global child mortality by two-thirds by 2015, with many children under the age of five dying of preventable causes. – (Reuters)