Azerbaijan, Baku, April 17 /Trend E.Mekhtiyev/
A child dies every couple of hours in Azerbaijan, representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Sevil Asadova said at the presentation of 'Facts for Life', organised by the UNICEF office in Azerbaijan.
Asadova expressed concern about these indicators and said that the prevention of infant mortality depends not only on doctors.
It is necessary to inform the whole population, especially the parents in this regard. Unfortunately, there are no books in the Azerbaijani language on this subject.
Asadova noted that as a result of Armenian aggression, about 10 per cent of three million children have been disenfranchised from their land. As a result of a change of diet every three women of reproductive age out of four and every two out of five children suffer from anaemia. Every fourth child suffers from stunting. Only one child out of eight receives breast milk in the first six months.
Today UNICEF in Azerbaijan launches Facts for Life, a publication which delivers lifesaving information to families and communities on how to prevent child and maternal deaths, diseases, injuries and violence.
Now in its fourth edition, Facts for Life has benefitted millions of individuals and communities since its first publication in 1989. Some 15 million copies of previous editions have been circulated worldwide in 215 languages.
It is a co-publication by UNICEF, WHO, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNDP, UNAIDS and the World Bank and provides practical advice on pregnancy, childbirth, major childhood illnesses, child development, early learning, parenting, protection, care and support for children.
'Facts for Life' is also available electronically in Azerbaijani and Russian at the UNICEF Azerbaijan website (www.unicef.az). This new edition contains a new chapter on child protection which provides information on keeping children safe from violent and harmful behaviours and practices.
UNICEF Representative in Azerbaijan Mark Hereward noted that an important message to users of FFL is that knowledge alone is not enough to change behaviour.
"We can know that something is good, or bad, for us or for our children, but not feel ready, or empowered, to actually adopt a new behaviour. This publication explains how and why you need to change," Hereward says.