Almost seven out of ten children in Malaysia worry a lot about bullying, according to a new global survey issued by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) in conjunction with World Children's Day today.

This is compared to only three out of 10 in Japan or close to four in 10 in the United Kingdom.

Unicef in a statement said Malaysian children also worried a lot about other global issues, such as violence against children (64 percent) and terrorism (60 percent), while their top picks for world leaders to focus attention on were education for the poor (17 percent), poverty and terrorism (15 percent).

The comparative survey involved 11,000 boys and girls, aged between nine and 18 years, in 14 countries from all regions across the world, including Malaysia, Brazil, Egypt, United States and India.

“The global Unicef survey echoed findings from the Children4Change opinion conducted locally in Malaysia in terms of children’s concerns and priorities,” the statement said.

Unicef expressed hope that the World Children’s Day would inspire governments, businesses and communities around the world to listen to children, as well as incorporate their opinions in decision-making processes that affect them.

Around 30 children from across the social spectrum in Malaysia will participate in the ‘takeover’ the Malaysian media programme today to make their voices heard on the occasion of World Children’s Day.

Officially established on Nov 20, 1989, World Children’s Day marked the day on which the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.

- Bernama