inTrodUCTion Reaching every child The promise of equity If the soul of a society can be judged by the way it treats its most vulnerable members, then by a similar measure, a society’s future – its long-term prospects for sustainable growth, stability and shared prosperity – can be predicted by the degree to which it provides every child with a fair chance in life. Providing every child with that fair chance is the essence of equitable development. And as this edition of The State of the World’s Children argues, promoting equity is more than a moral obligation. It is both a practical and a strategic imperative, helping to break intergenerational cycles of disadvantage and thus reducing the inequalities that undermine all societies. Musamat (sitting and facing every child is born with the same inalienable right to a healthy start in life, an camera), 6, plays a game at the education and a safe, secure childhood – all the basic opportunities that translate Bakchora pre-primary school into a productive and prosperous adulthood. But around the world, millions of in Satkhira Sadar, Bangladesh. children are denied their rights and deprived of everything they need to grow up healthy and strong – because of their place of birth or their family of origin; because © UNICEF/UN016332/Gilbertson vII of their race, ethnicity or gender; or because they live in poverty or with a disability. Photo how do these deprivations manifest themselves in the life of a child, on the journey to adulthood? an infant deprived of post-natal care may not survive her first days. a child deprived of immunization or safe water may not live to see his fifth birthday, or may live a life of diminished health. a child deprived of adequate nutrition may never reach his full physical or cognitive potential, limiting his ability to learn and earn. a child deprived of quality education may never gain the skills she needs to succeed someday in the workplace or send her own children to school. and a child deprived of protection – from conflict, violence or abuse, from exploitation and discrimination, from child labour, or early marriage and motherhood – may be physically and emotionally scarred for life, with profound consequences. The STaTe of The World’S Children 2016 1