Today, November 20, is Universal Children’s Day.

Photo: Robert Doisneau

According to the French council for the rights of children, France deals generally well with its under-18 population of 15 million, but not all is rosy:

* One million kids are poor
* 19,000 are abused
* 76,000 are at risk in a deteriorated family situation which threatens their educational or material development
* 240,000 are in care
* 85,000 are affected by lead poisoning
* Record suicides between 15-24 years.
* 150,000 boys and girls per year leave school without any prospect
* 15,000 under-16s do not go to school
* 15% of children who go to college do not understand what they read