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The annual Unicef Worlds of Influence Report Card released today shows that New Zealand is one of the worst places to be a child, ranking 35th out of the 41 richest countries surveyed – which include OECD countries and the countries that make up the European Union.

New Zealand’s youth suicide rate is the second-worst at 14.9 deaths per 100,000 adolescents, just in front of Lithuania, which is the worst in the developed world. This rate is more than twice the average among the 41 OECD countries surveyed.