Good nutrition is the cornerstone for survival, health

and development for current and succeeding

generations. Well-nourished children perform better

in school, grow into healthy adults and in turn give

their children a better start in life.

is implicated in more than half of all child deaths worldwide.

Malnourished children have lowered resistance to infection; they are more likely to

die from common childhood ailments like diarrhea diseases and respiratory

infections, and for those who survive, frequent illness saps their nutritional status,

locking them into a vicious cycle of recurring sickness and faltering growth

Overall, significant progress has been made in the reduction of child malnutrition,

with underweight prevalence declining from 32 to 28 % in the developing world as

a whole. The largest decline

was achieved in East Asia and

the Pacific where underweight

levels decreased by a third

(from 24% to 16%)

When thinking about statistics on child abuse, it is helpful to know that the very idea

of "child abuse" is controversial. Only recently, and only in particular countries and

cultures, has the abuse of children come to be seen as a major social problem and a main

cause of many people's suffering and personal problems

Why? Complex and subtle scientific issues are involved in studies that generate these

statistics. Even the most objective scientific research is imperfect. At least one or two

methods used in any study must be chosen by researchers based on opinions and

judgments, not just facts and logic.

Lisak and his colleagues argue that the criteria they employed to assess sexual abuse

are clear and relatively conservative in their treatment of the issues of power and

subjects' responses