Investing in the world’s 1.2 billion adolescents aged 10-19 can break entrenched cycles of poverty & inequity, UNICEF says in its 2011 State of W.C.R.

Invest in youth to tackle poverty, says UNICEF

March 7, 2011, 10:34 pm


Investing in the world’s 1.2 billion adolescents aged 10-19 can break entrenched cycles of poverty and inequity, UNICEF says in its 2011 State of the World’s Children report entitled Adolescence: An Age of Opportunity, which was released during a ceremony in Colombo, on Friday.



The report was launched in partnership with the Youth Affairs and Skills Development Ministry.



It states that strong investments during the last two decades have resulted in enormous gains for young children up to the age of 10. The 33 percent drop in the global under-five mortality rate shows that many more young lives have been saved, in most of the world ‘s regions girls are almost as likely as boys to go to primary school, and millions of children now benefit from improved access to safe water and critical medicines such as routine vaccinations.



Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said that greater investment in the education and training of youth could break the root causes of poverty and discrimination and significantly contribute to the growth of Sri Lanka’s economy.



The UNICEF’s Representative in Sri Lanka, Reza Hossaini said that adolescents face a unique set of collective global challenges, including an uncertain economic outlook, high levels of youth unemployment, an escalating number of humanitarian crises, climate change and rapid urbanisation. "Faced with these challenges, we have to equip young people with the skills and knowledge to build a prosperous and peaceful future."



The report sets out that adolescence is a critically important age. Young people who are poor or marginalised are less likely to make the transition to secondary education during adolescence, and they are more likely to experience exploitation, abuse and violence such as domestic labour and child marriage, especially if they are girls. Girls who marry early are most at risk of being caught up in a negative cycle of premature child-bearing, high rates of maternal mortality and child undernutrition.Girls also experience higher rates of domestic and/or sexual violence than boys and are more susceptible to the risk of HIV infection.



Sri Lanka has an adolescent population of more than three million. Steady investments in health, education and water and sanitation services have resulted in improving and high survival rates, better literacy levels and improved access to safe water and sanitation.



This new report provides data on youth around the world and indicates 28 births per 1,000 girls, aged 15-19 in Sri Lanka. This figure is lower than the South Asian average which stands at 54 births per 1,000, aged 15-19. It also suggests up to 54 per cent of females aged between 15 and 19 in Sri Lanka believe that a husband is justified in hitting or beating his wife.



With 81 million young people out of work globally in 2009, youth unemployment remains a concern in almost every country. An increasingly technological labour market requires skills that many young people do not possess. In many countries large teenage populations are a unique demographic asset that is often overlooked,the report adds.

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