STATEMENT BY THE RT HON PRIME MINISTER
DR B.SIBUSISO DLAMINI
AT THE WORLD POPULATION DAY COMMEMORATION
AT ENGUDZENI INKHUNDLA
4 DECEMBER 2014
Honourable Ministers
Your Royal Highnesses
Chiefs
Presiding Officers and Members of both Houses of Parliament
Regional Administrator
UNFPA Representative,
Members of the United Nations Family
Tindvuna Tetinkhundla
Bucopho
Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen
I am greatly honoured to be part of the commemoration of World Population Day for 2014. This is another 24 hours on the annual calendar that are dedicated to global awareness and commemoration of a key issue that affects the entire world.
The theme for this year is “Investing in Young People.” The countries of the world are being encouraged, indeed urged, to prioritize youth in development plans, strengthen partnerships with youth-led organizations, and involve young people in all decisions that affect them.
That strategy is a perfectly logical and practical one since, by empowering today’s youth, we set down the foundation for the development of our respective societies. In short, young people are the future of every country. They hold the key, though they are not necessarily aware of that at the time, or properly empowered to deal with it when their day arrives.
In sub-Saharan African countries the youth make up an especially large proportion of the population, to the extent that, in 15 countries of the region, half the population is under the age of 18. And, in fact, according to our 2007 population census, in Swaziland’s total population of one million, close to 40 % are even below the age of 15 years. That is a particularly high proportion and these figures need to be digested in the context of the generally accepted view that rapid economic growth occurs in countries which experience the demographic transition – that is, where the country’s working age population grows in relation to the non-working age population.
So, while that is not the only challenge that our country faces, it demonstrates that we have, at the outset, an economic growth hurdle that relates directly to the age distribution within our population.
Investing in our young people involves focusing on giving that segment of the population a very special attention to their fundamental rights – food, shelter, protection, education, health - as well as prioritizing their need for work opportunities. Our prevailing challenges all stem from the inadequate provision of those rights. If we are successful in dealing with them, most of the battle is won.
What, then, are the challenges? In our country they are, in fact, similar to those that are encountered in many other countries including: early sexual debut, teenage pregnancy HIV infection, early marriage, sexual abuse, substance abuse, and inadequate job-creation programmes, leading to high unemployment. Indeed, around 50% of our youth are unemployed.
Government clearly recognizes that, since our young people constitute a large proportion of the population, it is within that age category that exists the potential to achieve our development plans and realise our national goals. As government we recognise that when young people lack opportunities they are more easily led down the slippery slope to crime and violence, drugs and risky sexual behaviour and ultimately to the bottom of the social scale. Thus, we are fully cognizant of the critical importance of investing in young people, especially in the areas of education and skills development, health and employment creation. These are pre-requisites if we are to achieve our vision of attaining first world status by 2022.
If we start chronologically, so to speak, at the start of the day, every young person needs food in their stomach if they are to address the demands of school, university or searching for work. This challenge is especially acute for schoolgoing children. The Schools Feeding Scheme provides a very basic amount of food during schooltime but it does not function during weekends and holidays. It is, therefore, imperative that the revived indlunkhulu scheme kickstarts the awareness among all communities that they have a responsibility to protect their children, with daily food as the first line of protection.
Education is the route to gaining knowledge, and developing the reasoning skills needed to make life decisions, acquiring self-discipline, study habits, cooperative behavior and productive capacity, all of which contribute substantially to their ability to secure and retain sustainable livelihoods. His Majesty’s Government has spared no effort in ensuring that boys and girls are given equal opportunities to acquire an education. This is reflected in the provision of Free Primary Education (FPE) and the Orphans and Vulnerable Children Fund (OVC) Fund to ensure that all children, including those in difficult situations, are accorded an opportunity to acquire an education.
As a result of these initiatives, the country has realized an increase in primary school enrolment rates from 79% in 2004 to 85% in 2007 and to 92% in 2010. What is most gratifying is that the enrolment rates for boys and girls are almost at par.
At this juncture may I emphasise that the education of girls is recognised the world over as one of the most important development initiatives which results in profound demographic, social and economic benefits for families, communities and nations. However teenage girls face a particular threat in the form of early pregnancy which curtails their opportunity of acquiring an education. The findings of the 2007 Demographic and Health Survey indicated that 23% of Swazi girls aged 15–19 years had initiated childbirth, that is, had either given birth or were pregnant. The survey results further indicated that 45 percent of teenagers aged 19 years were either mothers or pregnant with their first child.
This points to the need for young people to be provided not only with formal education and training but also with the reproductive health related information and services they need to make informed decisions and choices and behave responsibly. In particular, investing in the education of girls and empowering them to avoid early sexual activity and teenage pregnancy has a multiplier effect on development. Furthermore, educated mothers face a lower risk of dying from pregnancy and child birth related complications than their uneducated counterparts.
Likewise, the children of educated women are less likely to die in infancy or early childhood than those whose mothers are uneducated. When girls from poor households stay in school and are able to acquire an education, marketable skills and gainful employment they are able to extricate themselves from the inter-generational cycle of poverty. These girls will, in turn, be able to invest in their own children, particularly in the critical areas of education and health, and will thus be able to make a contribution towards the creation of a productive future labour force.
On another related issue, it is very disappointing to note the rise, in recent times, in gender-based violence against women and girls. One in every three female Swazis has experienced some form of sexual violence before turning 18 years. Most of these cases are perpetrated by people known to the victim. This is a deeply chastening statistic.
An important dimension of investing in young people is protecting them from abuse and exploitation. I, therefore, appeal to all Swazis to join hands in protecting our children. Let us vow to name and shame those who abuse our young, and commit to akubete tibi tendlu (there must be no skeletons in the cupboard). Our culture demands that we must allow our children to be children and grow up in a safe and protected environment. Let that define the prevailing behaviour of our people towards women and children.
Investment in the education and health of our young people stands as a leader among Government priorities in order that that can all enter adulthood as empowered and active citizens who will significantly contribute to and benefit from national development initiatives in this country. We will continue to upscale interventions and ensure, with the support of our development partners, that young people have full access to comprehensive and culturally sensitive reproductive health information and services in order to bring about positive behaviour change and reduce unplanned pregnancy as well as HIV infection.
Nevertheless it will take a concerted effort from all sectors of our society for these efforts to bear fruit. Parents, teachers, religious and traditional authorities, communities and others all have a responsibility to play a leading role. Time and time again, in Swaziland and across the world, poor parenting can be identified as contributing significantly to dysfunctional behaviour in young people. Good, committed parenting is of critical importance, ideally from two parents and not one. The formula is simple though not necessarily easy. You have children, you spend time with them, you talk to them, you lead by example.
In a number of recent events I have re-emphasised the importance of developing an entrepreneurial culture within our education system for which the Junior Achievement and Enactus programmes are doing valuable work. Entrepreneurship, as a standard subject within the curriculum, will also inform the young student of the importance of completing one’s education and taking up a fulfilling career.
As I conclude, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government I thank UNFPA most warmly for the continuing support to our Government, helping us towards achieving the national population and development agenda. Government also highly appreciates the enduring partnership with non-Governmental organisations (NGOs) and the unwavering support of our development partners. I would also like to thank the region and the Engudzeni Inkhundla for hosting this important event, as well as expressing my gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the organizing of this commemoration of World Population Day 2014.
Thank you.