A new Children's Defense Fund (CDF) report shows the dire state of children in America today. Titled, "The State of America's Children: 2011," it can be accessed in full through the following link: http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/state-of-americas-2011.pdf
Focusing mainly on 2008 - 2010, it ranked America among industrialized countries "investing in and protecting children" as follows:
First in GDP First in billionaires
First in prison population size
First in health expenditures
First in student expenditures
First in military expenditures, technology, and global wars
First in weapons exports
17th in reading scores
22nd in low birthweight rates 23rd in science scores
30th in infant mortality rates
31st in math scores
31st in wealth gap between rich and poor
Last in relative child poverty
Last in adolescent birth rates (ages 15 - 19)
Last in protecting children from gun violence Only America and Somalia (with no legally constituted government because America ravaged it with war, poverty and starvation) haven't ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Other disturbing information includes:
Every second a public school student is suspended.
Every eight seconds a high school student drops out.
Every 18 seconds an unwed mother gives birth.
Every 20 seconds a public school student is corporally punished.
Every 21 seconds a child is arrested.
Every 34 seconds a child is born in poverty.
Every 42 seconds a baby is born without health insurance.
Every 42 seconds a child is abused or neglected.
Every minute a teenage mother gives birth.
Every two minutes a low birthweight child is born.
Every four minutes a child is arrested for illegal drug possession.
Every eight minutes a child is arrested for committing violence.
Every 18 minutes a baby dies before age one.
Every 45 minutes an accident kills a child or teen.
Every three hours a child is shot and killed.
Every five hours a child or teen commits suicide.
Every five hours a child dies from abuse or neglect.
Every 16 hours a mother dies from childbirth or pregnancy complications.
Moreover, growing hunger, homelessness, and nutritional deficiencies contribute most to low birth weight, infant mortality, and poor health. At issue is political Washington's indifference. America's greatest national security threat results from not investing in and educating every child. Most in all racial and income groups, and nearly 80% of public school Black and Hispanic children can't read or do math at fourth, eighth or 12th grade level standards, among those who haven't dropped out.
It shows as the rage to privatize grows, focusing on bottom line priorities, not teaching or caring about children matter. Families today in America are "more fragile as jobs are lost, unemployment compensation has been reduced, public assistance and public health programs restrict access, housing foreclosures continue and affordable housing becomes scarcer."
States spend three times more per prisoner than per public school student. Child poverty increased by almost 10% between 2008 and 2009, and keeps growing. In 2009, over 20% of children were impoverished, the number rising annually. With Main Street America mired in Depression, children are falling further behind in poverty, health, education, abuse, neglect, and early childhood development.
