Czech children not poor, but have emotional problems - UNICEF

from Czech Happenings

Prague- Czech children do not suffer from poverty and they have good health care and education as compared to children from some two tens of developed countries, but they have more problems in relations with parents and peers, according to a study that UNICEF released today.

According to the study, the Czech Republic came 15th or in front of countries as Britain, France or the USA. Children live under the best conditions in the Netherlands, the study says.

The Czech Republic placed 11th in terms of the financial conditions under which the children were living, 10th in health care provided, and ninth where education and children's risk behavior were evaluated.

The country has one of the lowest infant mortality rates. It placed second in the percentage of 15- to 19-year-old students.

But in the assessment of relations between children and their peers, and children and their parents, Czechs were in 19th position, with only Americans and Britons being assessed worse.

The Czech Republic is among the states with a rather high number of incomplete families. Czech 15-year-old children have lunch and dinner with their parents less often than children from the other countries. Fewer Czech children also considered their peers kind and helpful.

On the other hand, Czech children chat with their parents more often than other children.

Though Czech children were rather satisfied with their lives, the country placed 17th in children's subjective assessment.

The study shows that some 7 percent of children aged under 17 live below poverty level in the Czech Republic. The country placed 7th.

However, the study points out that poverty is relative and equals roughly 50 percent of the most frequent income. As a result, Czechs were 21st out of 28 countries when specific material conditions were compared, such as if a family owned a car, were on holiday abroad, had one or more computers or if the child had its own room.

Czech children were nevertheless the richest by the number of the books. Only 2 percent of Czech 15-year-old children said that their family had fewer than ten books at home.

The Czech Republic has the highest percentage (14 percent) of children aged 11, 13 and 15 who smoke at least once a week. Some 14 percent of children also got drunk at least twice. Nearly one in five 15-year-old children had sex.