Rural children more exposed to deprivations than urbans, study

    According to the primary findings of the study, which was conducted by the Moroccan Observatory of Children Rights (ONDE), 66% of rural children suffer from “at least one deprivation” against only 13% in urban areas.

    The results were presented in the first national forum on social policies and children rights, organised on Monday in the town of Kenitra (40 km north of Rabat) by ONDE and the Ministry of Social Development, Family and Solidarity, under the presidency of Princess Lalla Meriem.

    They revealed that 38% of children under 18 face at least one deprivation when it comes the five criteria adopted by the study, namely housing, sanitation, water, information, and teaching.
   
    The children most exposed to deprivation are those belonging to families made up of 2 to 5 or more members, where the leader of the household has only a primary education level.

    17% of rural children suffer from at least two deprivations, a rate in which girls are 6% ahead of boys, the study added.
   ONDE expects such a study to present an analysis of the different aspects of poverty and the social disparities and to define the policies to counter these phenomena in favour of vulnerable children.