Developing adequate health care and education systems has been an ongoing struggle
for the governments of both Kenya and Brazil. Despite moderate improvements in health
and education statistics for both of these countries, there is clear evidence that these
states will have to be actively engaged in order to overcome the challenges that lie
ahead. Kenya and Brazil may differ in geographical location, history, culture, and
socioeconomic status, but both countries are congruent in the challenges they face to
provide sufficient access to quality health care and educational resources to the
upcoming generations of children who are being failed by flawed policies and inadequate
systems. Even though both countries have signed the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child, have constitutions that obligate the state to foster opportunity, and
are actively pursuing the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development Goals, these states
must overcome their long histories of poor quality institutions. This paper will look at
whether these treaties and policies have helped to spur advances in Kenya and Brazil
towards the rights of children. Specifically, I argue that corruption has a direct impact on
health and education in many countries and that weaknesses in governance affects how
public institutions perform their functions in a country. Furthermore, this paper will
explore whether corruption plays major role in contributing to the violation of children’s
rights in Kenya and Brazil. This paper will provide an in-depth explanation and analysis
of how Kenya and Brazil’s education and healthcare systems have been impacted by
flawed government systems. This paper will not only describe and address issues related
to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, United Nations Declaration
of Human Rights, and each country’s constitution, but it will also look at the impact of
corruption – seeking to determine why the prevalence of flawed government education
and health care systems continue in spite of each country pursuing policies that promise
to advance the rights and opportunities of children.