To further discuss the status of mothers and children in Sri Lanka, the launching event was held at World Conference of Youth 2014 in Colombo, on 9th May 2014.
According to Save the Children’s State of the World’s Mothers Report 2014, Sri Lanka is the best place to be a mother in southern Asia. Sri Lanka’s 89th ranking puts it in the middle of the group of 178 countries ranked.
To further discuss the status of mothers and children in Sri Lanka, the launching event was held at World Conference of Youth 2014 in Colombo, on 9th May 2014. The 5 Indicators of the 2014 Mothers’ Index Maternal health -- Lifetime risk of maternal death: No mother should die giving life. A woman's risk of maternal death is a function of the number of pregnancies/births she has, the spacing of births, the conditions under which she gives birth as well as her own health and nutritional status. Maternal mortality is also a sensitive measure of health system strength, access to quality care and coverage of effective interventions to prevent maternal deaths.
Children’s well-being -- Under-5 mortality rate: A mother’s well-being is intimately connected to the health and well-being
of her children. U5MR is a leading indicator of child well-being, reflecting children’s health and nutritional status. It is also a key indicator of coverage of child survival interventions as well as the quality of care mothers receive before, during and after pregnancy.
Educational status -- Expected years of formal schooling: Education is a basic human right and a powerful determinant of life quality. Numerous studies show a robust relationship between years of schooling and a number of important life outcomes, including income, health and civic participation. And when a girl is educated, her children are more likely to be healthy and well schooled. Economic status -- Gross national income per capita:
Mothers are likely to use the resources they control to promote the needs of their children. GNI per capita is the best measure available to gauge a mother’s access to economic resources and, therefore, her ability to provide for her children. Political status – Participation of women in national government: When women have a voice in politics, issues that are important to mothers and their children are more likely to surface on the national agenda and emerge as national priorities.
