Havana, Dec 15 (Prensa Latina) The Cuban State's priority to assist and protect children was praised in a report published by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

With the title "State of World Children 2006: Excluded and Invisible," the text details how poverty, HIV/AIDS, war conflicts, and poor government management deprive children from being protected against abuses and exploitation.

The document also states how Cuba does not have excluded or invisible children, in spite of being geographically located in the Latin American and Caribbean area with larger division between the rich and the poor.

According to the report, extreme poverty is the main cause and consequence of their exclusion and invisibility, affecting nearly 96 million children in Latin America and the Caribbean, of them 41 million are boys and girls under 12 years old and 15 million are adolescents among 13 years old and 19 years old.

The presentation of "State of World Children 2006: Excluded and Invisible" marks the celebration for the 60th anniversary of UNICEF, main international childhood organization with branch offices in 158 countries, aimed at backing children until adolescence.