The State of the World’s Children in Numbers: Every Child Counts: Revealing Disparities, Advancing Children’s Rights

"Data do not, of themselves, change the world. They make change possible - by identifying needs, supporting advocacy, and gauging progress. What matters most is that decision-makers use the data to make positive change, and that the data are available for children and communities to use in holding duty-bearers to account."

The 2014 publication of "The State of the World’s Children in Numbers: Every Child Counts" supports the idea that credible data will give advocates for children information needed to move forward the work of improving lives and realising the rights of every child. The State of the World’s Children is an annual account taking begun by The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) thirty years prior. The 2014 report (in PDF format linked below) is accompanied by a data sheet that intersperses video accounts and links to photo essays of the lives of children with indicators and information on: data collection and analysis, and links to 14 statistical tables of data in PDF and EXCEL formats.

Data are gathered using the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). "Each survey is made up of discrete modules on specific topics. Countries can choose which modules to use based on relevance to their situation. Survey methods are standardized, so data can be compared over time and across countries. Data are disaggregated by sex, education, wealth, residence or other factors to reveal disparities. The surveys have been designed to provide a manageable framework with which to monitor progress towards global goals. Each survey typically samples around 10,000 households and includes interviews with women and men aged 15-49 years, as well as mothers and caretakers of all children under age 5." The document notes that use of mobile phones has advanced the speed of responses to infectious disease outbreaks, and advances such as those in blood testing are being use for diagnosis. New approaches to data gathering and new data categories include, for example, presence of E.Coli in drinking water and HIV estimates that include men and are drawn from nationally representative population-based samples. "Other efforts seek to extract useful information from satellite imagery, traffic sensors, social media, the blogosphere, online searches, mobile banking, hotline usage and other contributors to the hubbub of modern life. Numerous initiatives are exploring ways to mine such ‘big data’ for nuggets that can inform policymakers about people’s well-being and help them to pinpoint vulnerabilities."

The document acknowledges the interplay of quantitative and qualitative data to create a detailed and nuanced picture of the lives of children. "Take, for example, Young Lives, a long-term study of childhood poverty in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Viet Nam. It combines household surveys of 12,000 children (conducted every three years) with case studies that use interviews, children’s diaries and child-led neighbourhood tours to delve into topics ranging from children's socio-economic status and access to services, to how children spend their time, what they think has shaped their current situation, how they feel about it and what goals they aspire to." (See Related Summaries below.)

The discussion of the depth of this data collection system includes:

• studying the "unreached" through data disaggregation to show gaps and inequities
• monitoring to make sure commitments to data collection are respected and that data is drawn through internationally similar research and survey methods
• addressing the need for identity in order to be counted - "Rapid surveys modelled on UNICEF’s Monitoring Results for Equity Systems framework further revealed that the denial of the right to an official identity led to more deprivations - denying access to health, education and other services."
• reaching the unreached who are disabled
• elevating the importance of early child development
• obtaining data in sensitive situations of violence against children or harmful practices such as female genital mutilation/cutting

The evidence, then, as stated here, must be turned into action, for example, in setting the post-Millennium Development Goals agenda. It can also help children drive change. Data-driven information and communication technology (ICT) can help. For example: "Young people in low-income communities of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Port-au-Prince, Haiti, have used mobile phones loaded with a Geographic Information System application to take geotagged photos documenting neighbourhood problems. In Rio, their vigilance has led to the removal of piled-up garbage and the repair of a bridge. Work by adolescents in Rio and in Port-au-Prince is ongoing, and in late 2013 the programme was expanded to Buenos Aires, Argentina." The document cautions adults involved in participatory research to ensure the safety and privacy of child participants.

Prior to the data tables published for 2014, the document states that children and communities have a right to "information about their lives and to participate in decision-making that affects them. These rights to information and participation are ends in themselves. They also make development programmes more effective. Data provide evidence on which to base decisions and with which to evaluate action. Information and participation enable people to demand change and hold duty-bearers to account."