Working toward a better future for Yemeni children

Participants discuss how to increase the participation of young people in society.

The majority of Yemen’s population—approximately 67 percent—is younger than 24. This makes them a critical group to involve in society, and to be addressed by social programs. In order to address increasing the participation of youth in society, a workshop titled “Wider Participation for Children and Youth,” which was held at the Higher Council for Motherhood and Childhood on Wed., March 7.

The goal of the meeting was to discuss the Action Plan of the National Children and Youth Strategy organized by the Advisory Committee for Children and Youth.  The HCMC and the Ministry of Youth and Sports sponsored this workshop, in coordination with the World Bank, UNICEF, and the Social Fund for Development.  The workshop involved more than 60 children and young people from the civil society organizations, official bodies, schools and colleges.  Its aim is to involve the children and young people in preparing and planning the projects and programs targeting  them. It also aims to activate and strengthen their participation in these projects. 

The negative social and economic conditions under which most children and young people live in Yemen also encourage strategies that invest in children and young people. The strategy under discussion is regarded as a framework for guiding the policy and national programs that target children and youth and implementing the political and strategic directions related to the development of children and young people.

The project of preparing this strategy hopes to find a strategy to protect the children and young people, from the first days of their lives to 24 years old, from the deprivation in childhood and adolescence and seeking to develop their abilities. The strategy focuses on the ages from birth to 24 years old and divides them into three parts.  The early childhood years, from the first hours in the child’s life to five years old, are focused on in the strategy because there are a lot of children facing many risks in this period. 

About 78 percent of women do not undergo a medical examination before birth, and this badly affects some children after birth.  Just 4 to 22 percent of women who have undergone a medical examination are examined by qualified medical personnel. About 79 infants die out of every 1,000.  Also, 94 children out of every 1,000 under the age of five die. This rate increases to 107 children in every 1,000 in rural areas.  Some 44 percent of families lose one of their children. Approximately 50 percent of children, younger than five years old, are affected by malnutrition. 

The kindergarten system lacks good planning and design.  A lack of clear statistics associated with children’s health and the low immunization rates are other problems that increase childhood diseases in this age group.  The difficulties experienced by disabled children are increasing, because of the lack of appropriate care in the first years of their lives, the social discrimination, and the limited opportunities for them to participate in society and to be rehabilitated.  The factors behind childhood disability in Yemen are not yet the subject of a study or scientific research.

The years from six to 14, are not better than the previous period, so this period is also focused on in the strategy.   Just 20 percent of six-year-old children are enrolled in school at that age.  Some 78 percent of children eventually enroll to get basic education. The rate of children leaving schools at an early age is estimated to be about 15 to 65 percent.  Educational subsidies are not distributed to the poorest groups in society, to encourage parents to enroll their children in schools and continue their education.

Children share their concerns with members of the workshop.

The absence of the school health programs and nutrition is also another problem for the children and young people in this period.  The increase of child labor, in children between the ages of 12 and 20 years old, is one of the most dangerous difficulties faced by children at this age.  Some 37 percent, or about two million people in this age group, do not truly participate in society. They do not study or work, they are idle or look for amusement at home or in the streets. 

According to poverty surveys in 1999, the number of al-Akhdam children, perhaps the poorest and most disadvantaged in Yemen, amounts to 129,115. These children remain on society’s margin as a result of the passive public attitude, as well as poverty. It is a difficult thing to give figures on the street children because of the absence of analytical studies or surveys. About 53 percent of poor people in Yemen are children under 15 years old. The teen and young adult years, from 15 to 24 years old, are also targeted by the strategy. 

The illiteracy rate of this group is about 50 percent, while the ones who can read and write are just 33 percent.  The young females in this age group have the lowest enrollment in secondary education and universities, about 16.3 percent, compared with 40.8 percent of the young males.  Of all female workers, between15 to 24 years old, only 14 percent of them go to schools, compared with 59 percent of male workers.  The small number of teachers in schools is another reason for the deterioration of education in this age group. 

The rate of girls enrolling in professional education centers remains low, with young women representing only 5 percent of the total number of trainees.  About 20 percent of children in this age group start working at the age of 14. Of every three women, between 20 to 24 years, two are neither working nor studying.  The rate of young women who get paid for work is 14 percent or more, while the rate of young men who get paid is 52.9 percent.  The information available on the risks and transmission of the AIDS virus is limited in Yemen. The schools do not focus on any life skills or on analytical thinking. 

Young people suffer from their weak sense of the usefulness of education, and their limited opportunities to get jobs. Many students complain about the lack of professional guidance to choose their study specializations in enrolling the universities.  There is a low number of qualified psychologists and social workers to help students to solve social and study problems. Young men and women have little ambition to seek higher education.

The workshop resulted in some recommendations, such as the creation of an area of media to raise awareness and define the action plan of the National Children and Youth Strategy.  Establishing periodic workshops and seminars for children and young people to make sure that the plan is implemented is also important.  Also, web sites should be set up that focus on the strategy and follow its implementation. Activities in universities and schools should be tracked.

The workshop participants also recommended that the strategy focus on summer camps for all age groups, and suggested that groups with disabilities or that need special care should be accommodated. Children also need access to computer and technical information, participants concluded. Also, programs should be created to develop the talents of particularly creative children.

For example, these could find publications for young people to help write, or help students investigate their culture. Education needs to be improved, and young leadership encouraged, they recommended. The workshop also recommended the creation of a Higher Committee for Children and Youth, and emphasized the need to honor prominent leaders of young people. 

Also, if we are to expect our young people create a bright future for the country as they grow, advisory committees should be established for young people in various ministries, and the national strategy should be closely monitored, to ensure implementation.

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