Belarus to host large-scale social survey to assess the lives of children and women

A large-scale sociological study will be held in Belarus to assess the current situation of children and women in the country. This was told to journalists by Deputy Chairman of the National Statistical Committee Alexei Yarkovets, the correspondent of the agency “Minsk-Novosti”.

The social survey will be held as part of the project to expand assistance to children with disabilities and support families, it is designed for 2026-2028.

- The multi-indicator cluster survey for assessing the situation of children and women (MIKS) is a global initiative of UNICEF, which is one of the largest international programs for household surveys. Based on international methodology, the national survey allows to see a comprehensive picture of the lives of children and women and compare it with the situation in other countries.

Belarus has participated in such surveys three times – in 2005, 2012 and 2019. According to A. Yarkovets, MICS has a huge information potential and is valuable not only in a large number of final indicators, but also in a wide coverage of the studied topics.

- In our country, MICS is the only source of data on indicators of early childhood development, child labor, methods of raising children in the family, the speaker gave an example. It also supplements education statistics with other unique information: the coverage of young children, the participation of parents in the development and education of minors. The data obtained can be used by territorial authorities in the preparation and adoption of decisions in the field of social policy aimed at improving the living conditions of children and women. The new, seventh round of the MICS will be a significant contribution to improving the national system for monitoring the rights of the child and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals until 2030.