Mozambique sits on the southeast coast of Africa. With access to trade via the Indian Ocean and an abundance of natural resources, its economy saw rapid growth soon after the turn of the century. Despite this, poverty reduction remains stagnant, and 46% of children are multidimensionally poor. Working to bring relief to the country’s most afflicted is a host of NGOs and government initiatives addressing some of the worst aspects of child poverty in Mozambique.
Malnutrition
Food insecurity and malnourishment are prevalent among children across the country, severely impacting their physical development. The rate of stunting among children under five was 36.4% in 2022. Despite showing moderate improvement over the last 20 years, the under-5 mortality rate remains high at 70 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2021. To make matters worse, a string of severe cyclones has impacted farming and food production. Additionally, conflict in the north has caused nearly 1 million people to be internally displaced and lacking food. In June 2022, one-third of the almost 90,000 displaced individuals were children.
In a bid to stem the tide of food insecurity, the World Food Program (WFP) has been operating in Mozambique since 1977. Throughout the first six months of 2022, it provided food and medical assistance to 920,000 people. Additionally, it set up nutrition mobile clinics in hard-to-reach rural areas to diagnose and treat people suffering from acute malnutrition. It treated more than 19,000 vulnerable children aged six-59 months, 91.4% of whom fully recovered. Its efforts continue.
With education being key to poverty reduction, last year, the Ministry of Education and Human Development implemented the National School Feeding Program. Supported by WFP, it provided almost 220,000 pupils with nutritious locally sourced food, keeping them well-nourished and incentivizing them to stay in school while stimulating the local economy.
HIV Infections
One of the more malicious consequences of child poverty in Mozambique is the child HIV rate. The nation has one of the highest in the world. In 2021, approximately 160,000 children between 0-14 years old were living with HIV. Information shows that HIV newly infected 18,000 children, and there were 10,000 child deaths from AIDS-related illnesses in the same year.
Tackling this challenge head-on is ECHO, a USAID-funded project that supports the Mozambican government in its fight to reduce HIV prevalence in the country. Its objective is for 95% of HIV-infected people to know they are infected, for 95% of this group to get treatment, and for 95% of this latter group to have a low viral load.
As of 2022, 353,498 people have been diagnosed with HIV and started treatment, which is nearly twice the number since before the project started, giving them a better chance at living a fulfilling life.
Child Marriage
Child marriage is common in Mozambique, with 48% of girls being married before their 18th birthday. Furthermore, 14% are married before they reach the age of 15. In rural parts of the country, 44% of girls are pregnant before they reach 18. This forces girls to drop out of school, with less than half of them making it to fifth grade. In addition, only around 1% go to college. The female and male literacy rates (28% and 60% respectively) reflect this.
Child marriage perpetuates the cycle of poverty as it prevents girls from getting an education, a key indicator of poverty reduction. Girls Not Brides is an advocacy group aiming to end child marriage. Every extra year a girl spends in secondary school, she is six percentage points less likely to marry as a child. This could help to reduce child poverty in Mozambique.
In 2016, the group partnered with UNICEF and UNFPA to roll out the Global Program to End Child Marriage. This multifaceted program involves advocating for legislation to eradicate child marriage, multimedia awareness campaigns, community dialogues targeted at young people and improving access to family planning.
It also inspired the hit radio show “Ouro Negro (Black Gold),” an entertaining and educational radio drama broadcasting on 118 radio stations across the country. This show explores a range of topical social issues, including child marriage. The media campaigns and community dialogues reached a whopping 5.9 million people in 2018 alone and around 13 million people between 2016 and 2019.
The partnership also provided school fees and materials for 6,466 girls to attend secondary school and successfully dissolved 461 cases of child marriage. This strategy also promotes gender equality, reduces domestic violence and lowers the likelihood of contracting HIV.
The Law on Premature Unions
The campaign played a major role in the Mozambican government’s decision to pass the Law on Premature Unions in 2019, making it illegal to enter into a marriage until the age of 18. Enforcement of the law has been slow, with one in two girls still marrying prematurely. However, this is partly due to a lack of knowledge of the new law on the part of public servants, as well as the fact that many ordinary citizens lack access to law enforcement and legal services.
There has also been an upturn in the number of female members of parliament in the last two decades. Women make up 45.5% of the executive branch as of 2021, compared to 20% in 2004. Stakeholders hope this will result in greater enforcement of the new law in the coming years.
Looking Ahead
Life for children in Mozambique can seem precarious at times. However, the work that individuals and institutions are doing may just provide them with the means to escape some of the worst aspects of poverty and live prosperous and fulfilling lives.
– Marcos Caro
Photo: Flickr
The UK Forms Strategy to Combat Severe Poverty in Madagascar
The UK’s Development Strategy
The U.K. government found that, if current trajectories continue, by 2045, Madagascar will likely be third in the list of African countries hosting the greatest number of poor people. It cites “governance failings and high population growth (2.4% a year) as key factors.”
The strategy to reverse long-term decline and improve biodiversity, while also avoiding further humanitarian crises, consists of four main elements: humanitarian and disaster preparedness, freedom and democracy, climate and nature, and women and girls. By tackling each of these, the U.K. hopes to kick-start sustainable change that will have a positive long-term impact on those living in poverty in Madagascar.
Humanitarian and Disaster Preparedness
To help minimize the impacts of natural disasters on those living in poverty, the U.K. is aiming to strengthen the region’s ability to cope when droughts and cyclones strike. The U.K. has funded the START Network, which is designed to act in response to forecasted extreme weather events and ensure that communities that are likely to be affected are adequately prepared. Alongside this, U.K. scientists are working to assess the effect of changing weather patterns on cyclone strength in Madagascar and will use this data to create more accurate warning systems.
The U.K. supports the Africa Risk Capacity financing mechanism and provides insurance pay-outs to the government to provide immediate support in the wake of natural disasters.
Freedom and Democracy
The U.K. government has been working with the Madagascar government and interacting with opposition parties and the national electoral commission to ensure that the presidential electoral process of 2023 is peaceful and fair, minimizing the chances of a political crisis that would exacerbate the stability of the country and the lives of those in poverty.
Climate and Nature
The U.K. was appointed to lead and host the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November 2021. As part of this, the U.K. encouraged Madagascar to implement planning to achieve its climate commitments as the Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plan dictated.
The U.K. government is also working to create more progress on the carbon market by engaging with the World Bank and USAID.
Women and Girls
In 2020, there were 3,500 maternal deaths in Madagascar. The U.K. government will support the government to facilitate better dialogue on reducing preventable maternal deaths through changes to legislation.
By providing crucial aid, technical expertise and resources, the U.K. government is playing a vital role in addressing the urgent humanitarian needs in Madagascar. This support not only helps to alleviate immediate crises, such as food insecurity and health care challenges but also contributes to long-term resilience-building efforts.
– Maia Winter
Photo: Flickr
What You Need To Know About Child Poverty in Portugal
Why Is This an Issue?
Economically, Portugal is significantly weaker than its other European counterparts. A considerable number of Portuguese citizens earn notably less than other Europeans, attempting to make ends meet with the monthly minimum wage of €741. This amount is less than half of other countries like the U.K., where the monthly minimum wage is €1,600. The lack of sufficient income coupled with the expensive cost of living makes the lives of the citizenry very difficult. Families with children are in an even worse situation since more money is needed to feed every family member.
Child Labour
Despite laws against child labor, economic difficulties drive many children under 16 to beg. The financial crisis results in kids leaving school early to aid their families. This trend is especially seen in northern Portugal in industries like textiles, footwear and construction. These young workers earn less than one euro hourly, increasing the likelihood of school dropouts and skill deficiencies.
Luckily, there is a brighter hope for these kids due to the work of entities such as the National Commission for the Promotion of the Rights and the Protection of Children and Young People–an organization founded in 2015 that aims to curb child poverty in Portugal by monitoring the actions taken by the public sector of Portugal regarding dealing with the human rights of children and other vulnerable populations. To date, the NCPRPC has safeguarded the rights of roughly 66,529 children in Portugal since 2021.
Education
In purely economic terms, due to the relatively low salaries of many families, private school fees ranging from €400 to €550 per month can pose a significant financial burden, making it difficult for them to afford these fees alongside their modest incomes. Furthermore, the prospect of a child leaving school to work and earn money is incredibly damaging and dangerous. Because proper education provides access to many opportunities to break the cycle of poverty, any threat to the quality of learning could only deepen and perpetuate the poor lifestyle of children into adulthood. Moreover, the lack of proper education also makes these children susceptible to falling into precarious situations and potential abuses, further exacerbated by their vulnerability due to economic circumstances.
Abuses Stemming From Child Poverty
Child exploitation and abuse is an unsettling reality that plagues Portugal. The numbers, which surpass 4,815 reported cases since 1950, paint a grim picture primarily affecting children between the ages of 10 and 14. This disheartening revelation sheds light on the stark contrast between perception and reality, calling into question prior notions. Legislative shortcomings have paved the way for the trafficking of particularly vulnerable girls, often hailing from impoverished backgrounds, magnifying the urgency of addressing these gaps. Moreover, the alarming practice of children trafficked from regions like Brazil, Eastern Europe and Africa into the heart of Portugal, where their lives are marred by unimaginable suffering, encompassing forced prostitution and a barrage of mistreatment, is unfortunately still rampant.
Luckily, a resolution is underway. The Portuguese Victim Support Association (APAV), dedicated to aiding crime victims and combating sexual trafficking, partnered with The Body Shop’s impactful global campaign, receiving €44,300 for their anti-trafficking project and garnering seven million signatures for the petition ‘Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People,’ thereby advancing awareness and support efforts.
Solutions
Fortunately, the Portuguese government has taken notice of the human rights violations that stem from child poverty in Portugal, and they took significant steps in 2021 to combat child poverty by participating in EU initiatives like the Child Guarantee National Action Plan. Their plan focuses on crucial aspects such as early education, accessible health care, mental health services, free school meals, housing support and strengthening care institutions. This concerted effort reflects Portugal’s commitment to improving the well-being of vulnerable children. So far, there has been a downward trend in children at risk of poverty since 2021, with childhood poverty decreasing by roughly 2%, reflecting a positive resolution to the issue of child poverty in Portugal.
While addressing child poverty in Portugal remains an urgent task, the government’s dedicated efforts and collective awareness are crucial, as aligning the nation’s inner compassion with its outward allure is imperative for a more harmonious future.
– Neha Yadavalli
Photo: Flickr
The Impact of Tourism in Indonesia on Poverty
Concerns
The onset of the coronavirus pandemic brought on several strict government lockdowns to reduce the spread of infection. With borders closed throughout most of 2020, international travel to Indonesia dropped 83%. The isolation impacted tourism in Indonesia significantly. Bali and Java’s reliance on travelers during the prolonged era impacted thousands of jobs in the industry. The unemployment rate increased nearly 2% from 2019 to 7.1% in 2023. The reopening of borders and commerce within the South Asian nation returned travel, trade, and unemployment to pre-pandemic levels.
Jobs and Growth
According to a study by Tien Pham and Anda Nugroho published in 2022, tourism provides countries with limited natural resources with job opportunities and improves international trade relations. In 2018, the tourism sector accounted for 5.8% of Indonesia’s total gross domestic product. Bali remains the most popular destination in the country, accounting for more than 40% of Indonesia’s total international tourism revenue.
The revenue from tourism has advanced economic growth and improved the standard of living. The positive economic growth in the country led to significant decreases in poverty from 24% in 1998 to 9.2% in 2019, according to Pham and Nugroho.
In 2018, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, in conjunction with the Indonesian government, approved nearly $250 million for a large tourist attraction based in Mandalika, in the province of West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. This large project will draw in tourists and will create stable jobs and income and a better quality of life for Indonesians in the area. Several advocates voiced concerns regarding the environmental and humanitarian impact of this endeavor, however, both the AIIB and the government claim the project will not negatively affect the region.
Wage Increases
According to a 2020 study by Arif Haryana published in the Indonesian Journal of Development Planning, 95% of businesses in the tourism sector in Indonesia reported an increase in profits and sales that correlated with the rise in international visitors. This increase in work provides more families with the money they need to survive. In the study, over 1,250 workers participated in the survey and 19% worked in tourism-related jobs. Nearly 85% of employees claimed to receive under 2 million Rupiah a month, or $130 USD.
Although the average monthly wage mirrors other industries in Indonesia, many workers also demand a wage increase for their taxing jobs. With 5.2 million tourists in 2022, the government hopes to create an additional 4 million jobs by 2024 to accommodate the surging visitors, with no comment about pay raises.
Environmental concerns
The expansion of tourism in Indonesia has also brought negative impacts on the environment. Unsustainable magazine highlights that “Certain areas simply aren’t equipped to handle the sheer volume of people, leading to increased pollution, traffic congestion, and unsustainable practices. It’s heartbreaking to see natural wonders like the beaches in Uluwatu and national parks in northern Bali overrun with tourists, leaving trails of litter and damage in their wake. The challenge now is finding ways to balance the economic benefits of tourism with the need to preserve these destinations for future generations to enjoy.”
Balinese Governor Wayan Koster announced in 2023 a one-time payment from foreign tourists of $10 to enter the island. This fee system, set to begin in 2024, aims to draw in “high-quality tourists” who will respect both the culture and environment. The fees will go toward preserving culture and the environment and public works such as bridges and roads.
The impact of tourism in Indonesia on poverty cannot be understated. International interest in the country boosts the economy, increases job opportunities and allows for the promotion of their customs.
– Abigail Dudley
Photo: Flickr
10 Movies About Poverty
Movies have always been a medium for conveying social messages and the reality of present times, increasing awareness while delivering entertainment. Over the years, there have been many such movies that have focused on bringing global poverty to mainstream media, showing the condition of poverty in different parts of the world and among different communities. Out of these, a few movies about poverty are more accurate and more popular than the others. Here are 10 movies about poverty.
10 Movies About Poverty
Concluding Thoughts
Although cinema and poverty might seem worlds apart, these 10 movies are a good place to start if one wants to understand poverty in an emotional way, a way that allows one to sympathize with the challenges impoverished individuals face.
– Manasvi Kadian
Photo: Flickr
Everything to Know about Hunger in Palestine
Facts on the Gaza Strip
The Palestinian territories are split into two main regions, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The Gaza Strip is home to 2.3 million people and is considered one of the most “densely populated territories” internationally. According to the United Nations, 80% of Gazans live in poverty. However, food insecurity and insufficiency, while undoubtedly in need of critical attention right now, are not new needs in the Palestinian territories.
Hunger Crisis in Palestine
Here are four numbers you need to know about the hunger crisis in Palestine.
Chain Reaction in Israel and Palestine from the Russia-Ukraine War
But the chain reaction does not stop there. Because Israel imports “half of its grain and cereals from Ukraine,” Israel, and thus Palestine, suffered great decreases in food reception because of the ongoing Ukraine crisis. According to the World Food Programme, the war between Russia and Ukraine resulted in increased food prices in the Palestinian territories with “wheat flour (up by 23.6%), corn oil (26.3%), lentils (17.6%) and table salt (30%), decimating Palestinians’ purchasing power.”
There is one more number to consider: 522,000. This is the number of people that the WFP has assisted in Palestine with cash and food since the start of the crisis. The organization’s current goal, in Palestine specifically, is to reach 805,000 people with food by the end of November 2023.
Focusing on Those in Need During the Israel-Hamas War
The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization. It has been active in serving others since 1961. The group is entirely reliant on donations from governments, institutions, groups and individuals, and “a total 93.5% of all government contributions go directly to supporting life-saving and life-changing operations.” The WFP aims to raise $74 million over the next three months to provide adequate assistance to those in need in Palestine.
As Palestine and Israel continue to dominate headlines, humanitarian aid is poured out to those in need. However, the severe humanitarian and hunger crisis in Palestine is not a new or temporary occurrence. The Palestinian territories, now more than ever, need assistance from other countries and governmental organizations for access to food, water and sanitation.
– Kaitlyn Garrett
Photo: Flickr
The NALA Foundation WASH Program in Ethiopia
Nearly 80% of communicable diseases in Ethiopia come from an unsanitary water supply. Another contributing factor to the spread of disease is unsafe hygiene practices. Unsafe hygiene leads to poor overall health and nutrition, making it harder for people in impoverished communities to go to school or work, leading to school absences, unemployment and continuing poverty. If they cannot go to school or work, lifting themselves out of poverty will be more challenging. Fortunately, the NALA Foundation WASH program is doing its part to give Ethiopians improved access to clean water and ultimately lead to a healthier lifestyle that will help them grow and prosper.
What is NALA?
The mission of the NALA (NTD Advocacy Learning Action) Foundation is to eradicate diseases of poverty, especially neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). NALA is an organization that specializes in educating the people who need them about NTDs. These diseases are typically found in tropical areas and mainly affect poverty-stricken communities. Through education and work with local communities, the NALA Foundation addresses the leading cause of these diseases. It works to combat poverty, not just in Ethiopia but in many different countries, by eradicating NTDs at the source and changing the hygiene behavior of the people they help.
The organization began after its founder, Professor Zvi Bentwich, MD, discovered a connection between HIV and tropical diseases. The founder was inspired to help at-risk communities protect themselves from preventable diseases. Bentwich founded the NALA foundation soon after that. It started as a small-scale operation out of a small area in Ethiopia with a high rate of NTDs. It has since grown to help many communities.
The WASH Program in Ethiopia
More specifically, the NALA Foundation runs a program focusing on preventing water-borne illnesses through local involvement. This program is the WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) program. The NALA Foundation WASH Program emphasizes the need for communities to keep the community ownership of the project and maintenance of the infrastructure running after the organization has come through and helped them. NALA emphasizes the need for community members to be involved in making their water cleaner and for the people to continue to educate themselves. Community engagement in such projects ensures that these people in Ethiopia have the kind of water purification system they want and the one that will work for their town or village.
The Department of International Development and the Department of Management of the London School of Economics and Political Science did a 2015-16 study in Tanzania, which demonstrated the role of community engagement is in making people more aware of how to keep their water clean and live healthier lives. For example, the disease Schistomiasis declined by 4.4% in children after preventative measures were taken regarding hygiene. With the NALA Foundation model, the organization has reduced rates of intestinal worms in children by nearly 90%. The model consists of WASH programs, health education and drug administration. The Nala Foundation WASH program is just one part of a collective plan.
How Does NALA Lift People Out of Poverty?
The entire purpose of the NALA Foundation WASH Program is to give people a chance to leave poverty and give themselves better opportunities to advance by preventing the spread of infectious diseases that make it difficult for people to go to work or school. The “Bring Bilharzia to Zero” field project has been in existence since 2015 and has resulted in a 60% drop in the rate of NTDs among children in school. Another initiative would be the “Deworming Mekelle” initiative. Through extensive drug administration, hygiene education and increased water sanitation, in 2014, after five years, the city of Mekelle received official recognition as the first city in Ethiopia to be free of Bilharzia. By focusing several programs on schoolchildren, NALA helps children stay in school and miss fewer days due to preventable diseases. More education leads to better knowledge and a greater chance of escaping poverty.
The NALA Foundation WASH program does excellent things for Ethiopians in need. The stress of worrying about diseases that could prevent them from getting an education and going to work is a thing of the past. Whether eradicating the disease in a city where that had been a considerable issue or making children less likely to miss school, because of the NALA Foundation WASH program, people in Ethiopia and other African nations can worry a little less about education and community engagement in projects designed for their safety, with any luck, this program will change many lives for years.
– Calder Miller
Photo: Flickr
Rising Student Suicides in India Call for Greater Mental Health Care
The Situation in Numbers
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released an Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI) report in 2022 as the suicide rate in India reached an all-time high in 2021. According to the report, in 2020, 864 out of 10,732 suicides were due to “failure in examination.” The report noted more than 13,000 student suicides in India in 2021 at the rate of more than 35 per day. This concerning report highlights a need for urgent action.
Academic Stress
In August 2023, the coaching hub Kota of India recorded 23 student suicides. The coaching centers in Kota prepare students for the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE), for engineering and the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medicine. The hub draws more than 200,000 students annually to help them prepare for these exams. The high-pressure culture that surrounds these coaching centers shows a glimpse of the stress students face academically.
These exams are considered the most difficult and are entry tickets to placements in noteworthy education institutes. Institutes like IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) or IISC (Indian Institute of Science) select the highest rankers. The pressure on students does not decrease once they pass these exams. The Union Ministry of Education had told Parliament that 61 student suicides were recorded across top educational institutes — IITs, NITs and IIMs in 2023.
The focus on skill development is minimal, and there is a strong emphasis on scientific and mathematical fields. Approximately 90% of the education is theoretical, with limited opportunities for practical learning and student research.
Poverty also contributes to the academic pressure experienced by students. Many consider high-quality education a way to escape poverty, as it can lead to better job opportunities. A paper that The National Library of Medicine published in 2022 revealed that a significant majority of suicide victims in India were from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The data indicated that economic hardship was a significant factor in 64.2% of the 164,033 student suicides in 2021. These students had an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh.
Mental Well-Being and Stigma
Mental health draws a lot of stigma in India. Many see people who seek psychological as mentally ill or deranged. There is also a significant shortage of psychologists and psychiatrists, with only three professionals available for every 100,000 people dealing with mental health challenges. Despite this scarcity of mental health services, the prevailing cultural taboo makes it limited to public discourse. On the bright side, the government of India is taking action to fight the stigma surrounding mental health and to make mental health care services more accessible in order to improve mental health across the country.
Launched on July 21, 2020, MANODARPAN, an initiative by the government of India, actively facilitates a comprehensive array of measures to bolster the mental and emotional well-being of students, teachers and families. This encompasses organizing workshops and seminars on happiness and wellness, delivering regular yoga sessions and implementing induction programs like Paricharcha. Further, there are considerations for extracurricular engagement in sports and cultural activities. Appointed student counselors are responsible for nurturing holistic personality development and alleviating student stress. A “National Toll-free Helpline (8448440632) [is available] to provide tele-counseling to students across schools, colleges and universities and their parents and teachers to address their mental health and psychosocial issues,” the National Council of Educational Research and Training website states.
Looking Ahead
With sustained commitments to address the mental health needs of students, India could see decreasing rates of student suicides.
– Asra Mairaj
Photo: Pexels
Addressing Child Poverty in Mozambique
Malnutrition
Food insecurity and malnourishment are prevalent among children across the country, severely impacting their physical development. The rate of stunting among children under five was 36.4% in 2022. Despite showing moderate improvement over the last 20 years, the under-5 mortality rate remains high at 70 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2021. To make matters worse, a string of severe cyclones has impacted farming and food production. Additionally, conflict in the north has caused nearly 1 million people to be internally displaced and lacking food. In June 2022, one-third of the almost 90,000 displaced individuals were children.
In a bid to stem the tide of food insecurity, the World Food Program (WFP) has been operating in Mozambique since 1977. Throughout the first six months of 2022, it provided food and medical assistance to 920,000 people. Additionally, it set up nutrition mobile clinics in hard-to-reach rural areas to diagnose and treat people suffering from acute malnutrition. It treated more than 19,000 vulnerable children aged six-59 months, 91.4% of whom fully recovered. Its efforts continue.
With education being key to poverty reduction, last year, the Ministry of Education and Human Development implemented the National School Feeding Program. Supported by WFP, it provided almost 220,000 pupils with nutritious locally sourced food, keeping them well-nourished and incentivizing them to stay in school while stimulating the local economy.
HIV Infections
One of the more malicious consequences of child poverty in Mozambique is the child HIV rate. The nation has one of the highest in the world. In 2021, approximately 160,000 children between 0-14 years old were living with HIV. Information shows that HIV newly infected 18,000 children, and there were 10,000 child deaths from AIDS-related illnesses in the same year.
Tackling this challenge head-on is ECHO, a USAID-funded project that supports the Mozambican government in its fight to reduce HIV prevalence in the country. Its objective is for 95% of HIV-infected people to know they are infected, for 95% of this group to get treatment, and for 95% of this latter group to have a low viral load.
As of 2022, 353,498 people have been diagnosed with HIV and started treatment, which is nearly twice the number since before the project started, giving them a better chance at living a fulfilling life.
Child Marriage
Child marriage is common in Mozambique, with 48% of girls being married before their 18th birthday. Furthermore, 14% are married before they reach the age of 15. In rural parts of the country, 44% of girls are pregnant before they reach 18. This forces girls to drop out of school, with less than half of them making it to fifth grade. In addition, only around 1% go to college. The female and male literacy rates (28% and 60% respectively) reflect this.
Child marriage perpetuates the cycle of poverty as it prevents girls from getting an education, a key indicator of poverty reduction. Girls Not Brides is an advocacy group aiming to end child marriage. Every extra year a girl spends in secondary school, she is six percentage points less likely to marry as a child. This could help to reduce child poverty in Mozambique.
In 2016, the group partnered with UNICEF and UNFPA to roll out the Global Program to End Child Marriage. This multifaceted program involves advocating for legislation to eradicate child marriage, multimedia awareness campaigns, community dialogues targeted at young people and improving access to family planning.
It also inspired the hit radio show “Ouro Negro (Black Gold),” an entertaining and educational radio drama broadcasting on 118 radio stations across the country. This show explores a range of topical social issues, including child marriage. The media campaigns and community dialogues reached a whopping 5.9 million people in 2018 alone and around 13 million people between 2016 and 2019.
The partnership also provided school fees and materials for 6,466 girls to attend secondary school and successfully dissolved 461 cases of child marriage. This strategy also promotes gender equality, reduces domestic violence and lowers the likelihood of contracting HIV.
The Law on Premature Unions
The campaign played a major role in the Mozambican government’s decision to pass the Law on Premature Unions in 2019, making it illegal to enter into a marriage until the age of 18. Enforcement of the law has been slow, with one in two girls still marrying prematurely. However, this is partly due to a lack of knowledge of the new law on the part of public servants, as well as the fact that many ordinary citizens lack access to law enforcement and legal services.
There has also been an upturn in the number of female members of parliament in the last two decades. Women make up 45.5% of the executive branch as of 2021, compared to 20% in 2004. Stakeholders hope this will result in greater enforcement of the new law in the coming years.
Looking Ahead
Life for children in Mozambique can seem precarious at times. However, the work that individuals and institutions are doing may just provide them with the means to escape some of the worst aspects of poverty and live prosperous and fulfilling lives.
– Marcos Caro
Photo: Flickr
Addressing the Issue of Child Soldiers in Nigeria
Globally, armed conflicts unfortunately involve children, with at least 105,000 child soldiers reported between 2005 and 2022. Armed groups compel these children into service through methods such as abduction, threats, poverty or the need for survival, all of which violate international law and child rights. Within these armed forces, these children endure violence, perilous tasks and deprivation, significantly affecting their physical and mental well-being.
In 2021, a United Nations (UN) report highlighted alarming rates of child soldiers in Nigeria and sexual violence against children in West and Central Africa. Within five years, government forces and armed groups recruited more than 21,000 children in the region. Furthermore, abductions affected more than 3,500 children, ranking the nation as the second-highest globally in abductions.
Humanitarian Crisis
Various security issues plague Nigeria, including the persistent Boko Haram insurgency in the North, prolonged unrest in the Niger Delta, escalating clashes between herders and farmers in the central and southern regions and the separatist movement in the South East known as Biafra agitation.
Boko Haram, an Islamist extremist group, has violently affected the Lake Chad Basin region in West Africa for more than 12 years, displacing at least 2 million people and causing a severe humanitarian crisis. The group’s goal has been to create an Islamic caliphate based in Nigeria. Additionally, this conflict has impacted neighboring countries such as Cameroon, Chad and Niger, leading to the displacement of millions of people across these regions. Armed groups abduct, kill and force children into becoming child soldiers and suicide bombers. They also attack villages, depriving residents of essential resources such as safe water and healthcare. The ongoing crisis has led to a sharp rise in child malnutrition rates.
Child Warfare
Boko Haram is employing new strategies, notably involving children in warfare, to regain influence and global infamy.
In July 2020, the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict condemned Boko Haram’s grave violations against children in Nigeria’s northeast. Between January 2017 and December 2019, Boko Haram recruited 3,601 children, including 1,385 child soldiers through abduction, forced combat and sexual slavery.
Boko Haram has recruited child soldiers as young as 5 to 8 years old. Even more concerning is the group’s use of young girls as suicide bombers. Between April 2011 and June 2017, they deployed 434 bombers, with more than 50% being females. Shockingly, 81 of them were children and teenagers. This number exceeds the 44 child bombers used by the Tamil Tigers over a decade.
The Fight for the Future
Armed groups in Nigeria recruit and use child soldiers due to various contributing factors. Cash incentives are attractive to countries with a large population living below the poverty line, which makes recruitment easier. Moreover, the Almajiri system in Northern Nigeria exposes out-of-school children to vulnerability, making them susceptible to armed groups. Despite efforts to address the problem, including heightened security measures in Northern Nigeria, the UN considers the situation “unacceptable and immoral.” The issue remains unresolved, even though the UN and the Nigerian government have worked together to combat it.
The UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict is urging regional efforts to prevent children from joining armed groups by providing them with better opportunities such as education and meaningful activities. This approach involves establishing child protection agencies, reintegrating rescued children and prioritizing education to reduce vulnerability and the number of out-of-school children, thereby making them less susceptible to recruitment by non-state armed groups.
Urgent global attention and coordinated efforts from the international community, the UN and the Nigerian government appear to be vital in addressing the issue of child soldiers in Nigeria. The involvement of children, as young as 5 years old, vividly highlights the severity of the issue. Despite recent initiatives like enacting the Child Rights Act and endorsing the Safe Schools Declaration, the issue of child recruitment persists, underscoring the need for a comprehensive approach.
Both recent and ongoing trends regarding this problem emphasize the need for sustained commitment from all stakeholders to eradicate the use of child soldiers in Nigeria and provide a brighter future for the nation’s young generations.
– Ellen Jones
Photo: Flickr
5 Updates on the Yemen Crisis
The Crisis in Yemen
The Republic of Yemen is located at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula with approximately 29 million inhabitants. Yemen has long been the poorest country in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with half of the population living in poverty even before the outbreak of conflict. In early 2015, a civil war erupted in the country between the Yemeni government and the Houthis, a political organization originating in the northwestern province of Saada. Since then, the unrelenting fighting has destabilized the economy and destroyed much of the local infrastructure, driving the poverty rate up to as high as 78% of the population.
This conflict has resulted in mass displacement, food shortages and famine with 16.2 million residents at risk of malnutrition due to food insecurity. Furthermore, because of large-scale displacement and poor sanitation, there have been a series of disease outbreaks over recent years including outbreaks of cholera, measles and diphtheria, all of which have been eradicated across much of the rest of the world.
In April 2022, the United Nations announced that a two-month cease-fire had been agreed upon by opposing sides. In a progressive move, this truce was renewed a further two times before officially ending in October of the same year. Despite the end of the cease-fire, fighting has not resumed to the same extent as before, providing Yemen and its inhabitants with a period of relative stability and the opportunity to receive foreign aid.
Visible Progress
With the country finding some degree of stability in the wake of the six-month truce in 2022, the people of Yemen have been able to receive aid from international organizations such as UNICEF.
Here are five updates on the progress visible amid the Yemen crisis since the truce period in 2022.
Initially, the Yemen crisis was heavily publicized; however, media coverage and charitable appeals have dwindled by comparison in the years since. Because of this, it is easy to be disillusioned about the current struggles the Yemenis are facing. In spite of this, progress has continued to occur at an accelerated rate in the wake of a temporary ceasefire which scaled back significant proportions of the fighting and has created a fragile state of stability across the country.
– Holly Coop
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