June 23, 2009 - The health of Aboriginal children in Canada falls well below national averages and is one of the most significant children's rights issues facing the country, concludes a newly released Canadian supplement to the UNICEF State of the World's Children 2009 report.
Despite some progress, Aboriginal children continue to suffer from a much greater burden of poor health than non-Aboriginal children, faring worse than national averages in almost all health status indicators, such as diabetes and suicide rates, as well as in the conditions that influence health, such as poverty and access to clean water.
Gulf in Child Health Outcomes
National experts use existing data to depict the living conditions in which the majority of Inuit, Métis, First Nation and urban Aboriginal children live, and note that health problems stem from the legacy of policies such as residential schooling which severed families from their children.
Among the findings:
· the infant mortality rate across First Nations reserves is up to seven times higher than among the general population
· the infant mortality rate for Inuit children is more than three times the national rate and almost equal to Sri Lanka and Fiji
· the fertility rate of First Nations teenagers is seven times greater than that of other Canadian teenagers
· the tuberculosis rate among some Inuit communities between 2002 and 2006 was 90 times higher than that for the non-Aboriginal population
· 40 per cent of Aboriginal children under age 14 live in crowded homes -- more than six times the rate for non-Aboriginal children
· on-reserve First nations child immunization rates are 20 per cent lower than the national rate
"The health of Canada's Aboriginal children is a bellwether of the health of our nation,” said Margo Greenwood, Academic Leader of the National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health. “Their health status is a product of the social conditions and access to societal resources. We have the knowledge, the technology and the resources to ensure the highest attainable standard of health for all of our children.”
All Children Not Equal
The report marks the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child which obliges governments to ensure that all children enjoy the highest attainable standard of health and access to health care services. Nigel Fisher, President and CEO of UNICEF Canada, said: "The health conditions of Canada's Aboriginal children are not what we would expect in one of the most affluent countries in the world. There are identifiable solutions to address this inequality. This report is for each of us who believes that Canada is only as strong as our most vulnerable children."
Fisher said federal spending for Aboriginal communities has not mirrored population growth, and that a number of services provided to other Canadians are underfunded or denied. The report draws attention to the fact that hundreds of Aboriginal children are caught in disputes between orders of government about who is responsible to provide or pay for a service.
The UNICEF Canada report urges funding to support the same level of services for all children in Canada, and passing legislation federally and provincially to implement "Jordan's Principle" a child-first principle to resolve inter-governmental jurisdictional disputes affecting the lives and health of Aboriginal children.
"Addressing health disparities experienced by First Nations, Inuit and Métis children is a huge challenge and requires a collective Canadian effort to tackle them," said Greenwood. "These disparities will not be resolved by a single action or a "one size fits all" approach. A holistic approach that builds upon the attributes and strengths of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples will help build a strong and vibrant Canada."
Recommendations for action include:
· collecting high-quality data on all areas of Aboriginal health and well-being to address serious gaps, for instance, regarding the prevalence of HIV and AIDS among First Nations people
· removing jurisdictional boundaries that hamper health care delivery
· educating health and social service providers to increase understanding of Aboriginal contexts and health issues
· increasing capacity-building intiatives in support of Aboriginal governance of social, health and education initiatives
· allocating greater resources and funding for research, policy development and service provision.
The report also encourages recognition of "Jordan's Principle" -- a child-first principle to resolve inter-governmental jurisdictional disputes affecting the lives and health of Aboriginal children. Click here to learn more.
To view the report and participate in supportive actions for Aboriginal children, visit here.