Youths in East Asia, Pacific Optimistic About Future: UNICEF SurveyChildren and adolescents in East Asia and the Pacific are generally optimistic about the future, according to a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) survey released Monday.The UNICEF survey, "Speaking Out! Voices of Children and Adolescents in East Asia and the Pacific," was conducted among some 10,000 children and adolescents aged 9-17 years in 17 countries and regions in the region. The survey shows that about 80 percent of respondents believe their lives will be better than that of their parents, while some 74 percent think life in their communities will be better in the future than it is now. Another major focus of the survey was young people's knowledge of rights and their perception of whether those rights are being respected. The survey found that although 61 percent of the respondents say children have rights like adults, only one in five claims to know "a lot" about those rights. The 39 percent of respondents who answered "no" or "do not know " to the question of whether children have rights, represents some 117 million children and adolescents across the region, according to the UNICEF. In addition, more than 20 percent of the respondents believe their rights to information, freedom to express ideas and opinions, and not to be hurt or mistreated are not respected in their countries. The sample is representative of some 300 million young people in the 9-17 age group, and it is believed to be the largest and most comprehensive survey of the views of young people ever carried out in the region, according to UNICEF. |
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