The UAE has about 1.1 million children, representing one-third of the country's population in 2001. Recently released figures of the Ministry of Planning indicate that the number of those in the 0 to 19 age group has been increasing steadily.

According to these figures, the number of children grew at an average annual growth rate of 5.8 per cent from 1995 to 2001. This increase is attributed to both the population growth and an increase in the influx of expatriates into the country.

In general, during the six years from 1995 to 2001, the total number of births increased at an average growth rate of 2.4 per cent.

Although the number of births declined by 1.8 per cent in 1995 compared with 1991 figures, births increased consistently from 1995 to 2001. This decline is actually a result of the decrease in the number of expatriate births, as the national births have been growing regularly throughout the ten-year period.

Expatriate births outnumbered national births throughout the past ten years. Actually, expatriate births represented 58.6 per cent of the 56,136 registered births in 2001. This is because the country has a majority of expatriates.

Also, male births outnumbered females throughout the period from 1998 to 2000, comprising 51.5 per cent in 2000.

Statistics show that the crude birth rate in 2000 was 16.5 infants per 1,000 population, which was slightly higher than the previous year's rate of 16.4 per 1,000 population. The infant mortality rate in 2000 was 8.3 per 1,000 live births, showing a decrease of about 5.6 per cent from the 8.8 rate of 1999.

Moreover, of the 1.1 million children in 2001, 52.4 per cent were males and 47.6 per cent females. The data also shows that in the past six years, boys have always outnumbered girls.

The break-up of children by age group in 2001 shows that the largest is the 5 to 9 age group, comprising 27.7 per cent of the total number of children. The second largest is the 0-4 age group, comprising 27 per cent of the total number of children.

In third place is the 10 –14 age group (25.4 per cent), while the 15 –19 age group ranks fourth (19.9 per cent). The increased number of children in the UAE is attributed to the excellent health care, educational services, social, cultural and recreational activities available in the country.

Indeed, these services encourage parents to bring up children in the UAE.

In fact, according to a study prepared by the Zayed Centre for Co-ordination and Follow-up, the government has given special care to children in terms of cultural bringing up, education and health.

The study shows that the number of kindergartens increased by 81.2 per cent to reach 125 in the academic year 2000-2001 compared with 1989-1990.

Furthermore, since the International Day of the Child falls on the same day as the Declaration on the Rights of the Child of 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989, it is important to note that the UAE has adopted these international accords.

The UAE protects the rights of the child through different means. The labour law prohibits employers from recruiting children.