International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Over the past ten years, there have been four million preventable child deaths around the world, according to a leading charity.

Save the Children said the mortalities have occurred because states have failed to help the poorest parts of less developed nations.

According to the charity, infant mortality rates are so high because developing countries use methods to reduce deaths that result in children from better off backgrounds being saved, rather than disadvantaged ones.

Jasmine Whitbread, Save the Children International's chief executive, said: "It is a disgrace that some countries are 'ticking a box' on child mortality without ensuring that the poorest and most vulnerable children benefit equally."

"Yet many governments are turning a blind eye to these deaths simply because it is easier or more convenient to help children from better-off groups," she added.

In another report, Unicef, the world's leading children and child rights organisation, highlighted that youngsters from the poorest 20 per cent of households in the developing world are more than twice as likely to die as those from the wealthiest 20 per cent.

Posted by Martine Ward