Released on May 05, it contains results of a survey on the living standards of mothers and children.

Its Sri Lanka director William Lynch said at the launch that dwarfism due to malnutrition has become a problem among children of Ampara, Trincomalee, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Batticaloa.

The report ranks 179 countries on the basis of the living standards of mothers, such as maternal mortality, mortality among children aged below five years, proper education for children, the GNP and women’s participation in national politics.

Lynch said Sri Lanka’s decline from the 89th position a year ago to 91st position in 2015 was not a concern, but that unequality with regard to health and nutrition was worst in Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya and Jaffna districts.

The post-war period in the north and the east has been worrisome due to the failure of monsoon rains and floods due to the non-renovation of irrigation, he said.

The absence of a long-term plan for improving nutrition of the northern people was another matter of concern, he said.

Meanwhile, anemia is a problem in Colombo district, while dwarfism has affected Nuwara Eliya too, said the country director.

The Save the Children report lists Norway as the best country to live in for a mother, while the worst country is Somalia.