Child poverty is getting out of hand
May 26, 2008
BY AUGUSTUS NUWAGABA<br><br>Between May 12-13, child poverty was the centre of discussion at an international conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The conference brought together World leading economists and human rights activists like Prof. Jeffrey Sachs and Stephen Lewis. The main objective of t
BY AUGUSTUS NUWAGABA
Between May 12-13, child poverty was the centre of discussion at an international conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The conference brought together World leading economists and human rights activists like Prof. Jeffrey Sachs and Stephen Lewis. The main objective of the summit was to establish the root causes of child poverty and to devise means of addressing the vice. I was a main speaker at this forum, having been commissioned by the African Policy Forum to conduct a major African research project titled “Child poverty and the Budget in Africaâ€. This study was conducted between September 2007 and February 2008, covering the 53 countries in Africa.
The study revealed that there has been an increase of child poverty in Africa mainly resulting in failure in governance. This is characterised by civil conflicts that have relegated most African government budgets to defence expenditure and less social sector spending yet it is the latter that affects children. Currently, there are 120,000 children participating in armed conflict in Africa. In Uganda, children wallowing in poverty constitute 85.4%. This compares well with other countries in Africa like Chad (88.2%), Ethiopia (94%), Mozambique (76.3%) and Guinea (71.1%). One common denominator in these countries is the high defence expenditure, (Uganda (26%), Ethiopia (9%), Guinea(29%), Mozambique (35%) and Burundi (23% ).
The high defence expenditure has meant disproportionately less expenditure in the social sectors of health and education leading to the apparent severe deprivation and absolute poverty. For example, the per capita expenditure on health in Chad is $7.3, Uganda $5 and Burundi $1 yet there are 2 million children suffering from HIV/AIDs in Africa. Ironically, in all these countries, children constitute more than 50% of the total population. The face of child poverty is both visible and invisible.
The visible face is clearly disenable among street children and beggars, early school dropouts particularly girls, early marriages, child soldiers, and child labour (26.4%) of all 5-14-year-olds in Africa constituting a total of 49.3 million. Other manifestations are high Infant mortality rates, low immunisation coverage and high maternal mortality.
The invisible face of child poverty includes children living in broken relationships who suffer serious psyscho-social problems. Child poverty affects children more than adults. Poverty affects children’s present and future. For example, severe child deprivation in terms of access to food will damage the intellectual growth of the child. This leads to school drop outs, low human capital and subsequently lack of employability which increases material deprivation for the child that dropped out. In 2004 , UNESCO reported that 38 million children in Africa were out school.
Child poverty can be addressed by developing robust mechanisms for peace building and conflict reduction which will reduce defence expenditure and improve national budgets in health and education sectors that influence the child’s development.
Peace building requires developing political accountability; governance regimes aimed at creating institutions for ensuring equitable access to resources.
Child budgeting should also be done. This refers to putting children on the political and development agenda hence improving budgetary allocations to sectors that affect children like health education, water and sanitation.
There is need to address demographic factors, particularly adopting serious measures for controls of population growth. Due to high fertility, poor countries experience high vulnerability to child and maternal mortality.
Household poverty should be reduced. This includes harnessing household productivity, improved marketing infrastructure and streamlining international trade architecture. It is crucial to note that children suffer poverty because they live in poor households.
There is also need to create a level playing field for all children. This is because the progress of children and future competitiveness is dependant on the opportunities they are given.
Children are our present and not our future. There is need, therefore, to address children problems, build human capital within the children through access to education and health care so that they can compete effectively and become useful future citizens. If this is not done, children would be viewed as burdens and not future assets to the national economies. They should be given a chance.
The writer is a specialist technical consultant for the African
Policy Forum
Between May 12-13, child poverty was the centre of discussion at an international conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The conference brought together World leading economists and human rights activists like Prof. Jeffrey Sachs and Stephen Lewis. The main objective of the summit was to establish the root causes of child poverty and to devise means of addressing the vice. I was a main speaker at this forum, having been commissioned by the African Policy Forum to conduct a major African research project titled “Child poverty and the Budget in Africaâ€. This study was conducted between September 2007 and February 2008, covering the 53 countries in Africa.
The study revealed that there has been an increase of child poverty in Africa mainly resulting in failure in governance. This is characterised by civil conflicts that have relegated most African government budgets to defence expenditure and less social sector spending yet it is the latter that affects children. Currently, there are 120,000 children participating in armed conflict in Africa. In Uganda, children wallowing in poverty constitute 85.4%. This compares well with other countries in Africa like Chad (88.2%), Ethiopia (94%), Mozambique (76.3%) and Guinea (71.1%). One common denominator in these countries is the high defence expenditure, (Uganda (26%), Ethiopia (9%), Guinea(29%), Mozambique (35%) and Burundi (23% ).
The high defence expenditure has meant disproportionately less expenditure in the social sectors of health and education leading to the apparent severe deprivation and absolute poverty. For example, the per capita expenditure on health in Chad is $7.3, Uganda $5 and Burundi $1 yet there are 2 million children suffering from HIV/AIDs in Africa. Ironically, in all these countries, children constitute more than 50% of the total population. The face of child poverty is both visible and invisible.
The visible face is clearly disenable among street children and beggars, early school dropouts particularly girls, early marriages, child soldiers, and child labour (26.4%) of all 5-14-year-olds in Africa constituting a total of 49.3 million. Other manifestations are high Infant mortality rates, low immunisation coverage and high maternal mortality.
The invisible face of child poverty includes children living in broken relationships who suffer serious psyscho-social problems. Child poverty affects children more than adults. Poverty affects children’s present and future. For example, severe child deprivation in terms of access to food will damage the intellectual growth of the child. This leads to school drop outs, low human capital and subsequently lack of employability which increases material deprivation for the child that dropped out. In 2004 , UNESCO reported that 38 million children in Africa were out school.
Child poverty can be addressed by developing robust mechanisms for peace building and conflict reduction which will reduce defence expenditure and improve national budgets in health and education sectors that influence the child’s development.
Peace building requires developing political accountability; governance regimes aimed at creating institutions for ensuring equitable access to resources.
Child budgeting should also be done. This refers to putting children on the political and development agenda hence improving budgetary allocations to sectors that affect children like health education, water and sanitation.
There is need to address demographic factors, particularly adopting serious measures for controls of population growth. Due to high fertility, poor countries experience high vulnerability to child and maternal mortality.
Household poverty should be reduced. This includes harnessing household productivity, improved marketing infrastructure and streamlining international trade architecture. It is crucial to note that children suffer poverty because they live in poor households.
There is also need to create a level playing field for all children. This is because the progress of children and future competitiveness is dependant on the opportunities they are given.
Children are our present and not our future. There is need, therefore, to address children problems, build human capital within the children through access to education and health care so that they can compete effectively and become useful future citizens. If this is not done, children would be viewed as burdens and not future assets to the national economies. They should be given a chance.
The writer is a specialist technical consultant for the African
Policy Forum