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Thu 02 Feb 2007Ireland 12th in Unicef child wellbeing tableIRELAND:Despite strong economic growth over the last decade and sustained anti-poverty efforts, children growing up in Ireland suffer greater deprivation than those in most other wealthy countries, according to a UN study.The report shows that Ireland ranks 19th out of 21 industrialised countries for the proportion of children experiencing hardship, ahead of Hungary and Poland. However, when other indicators such as education, family relationships and risk-taking behaviour are included, Ireland rises to 12th place in the Unicef league table which measures overall wellbeing of children.