Adolescence
Adolescence Adolescence
HALLENGES ANDOver the course of the next five years, the world has an unprecedentedopportunity to improve the lives of young children and adolescents by achievingthe Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with equity. Great strides havebeen made towards the goals in the past decade, particularly for those childrencurrently still in the first decade of life.The global under-five mortality rate, long considered a reliablegauge of child well-being, fell by 22 per cent between2000 and 2009 – double the rate of decline achieved in thepreceding decade. Immunization against major childhooddiseases has risen in all regions. Primary education hasseen a strong boost in enrolment and attendance, which inturn has served to narrow the genderdivide as girls steadily gain greateraccess to basic schooling.With these successes comes a responsibilityto ensure that children who havesurvived the first five years of life andgone on to attend and complete primaryschool are given continued supportin the second decade of life. Asthis report has shown, once childrenhave navigated their way successfullythrough infancy and childhood, a newset of challenges awaits.“I wish governmentswould invest morein our safety andeducation tostrengthen ourvalues andknowledge.”Santiago, 15, VenezuelaLack of educational and employmentopportunities, accidents and injuries, early sex, HIV andAIDS, mental health issues, child labour, adolescent marriageand teenage pregnancy are just some of the risks thatcan prevent adolescents from realizing their capacities asthey transition to adulthood. Global challenges, includingclimate change, economic uncertainty, globalization,demographic shifts and humanitarian crises, present anuncertain backdrop for adolescents during the pivotaldecade of their lives.Support for these young people, most of whom are still childrenunder the Convention on the Rights of the Child, mustnot stop at the end of their first decade of life. A good startin life is necessary but not sufficient to break the bonds ofpoverty and inequity: To make a lasting difference, for bothindividuals and societies, support in early and middle childhoodmust be complemented by investmentin adolescent education, health care, protectionand participation – particularly for thepoorest and most marginalized. Families,communities, national governments, donors,development agencies and all other stakeholdersmust join together with youngpeople as they prepare for their future.Attendance and completion of secondaryschool, access to quality health care, participationin decision-making, and protectionfrom violence, exploitation and abuse arefundamental to empowering adolescents torealize their potential. Evidence shows thatthe realization of these rights increases thelikelihood that adolescents will become economically independent,make informed decisions about sex, participatein community and civic affairs and be better equipped toobtain productive employment that will help end the cycleof poverty. As adults, they will also be better prepared tohandle the global challenges facing their generation.This report has identified five key areas in which partnerscan come together and invest in adolescents. These are62THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2011
OPPORTUNITIESThere is no need to wait for the global economy tofully recover to take action. The solutions in question,from education to improved data collection, havebeen tried and proven to work. Evidence exists on themerits of investing in adolescents and young people.Particularly in the developing world, where the majorityof adolescents live, such investment has the potentialto rapidly accelerate progress in reducing povertyover the coming decades and to set economies on the pathto more equitable, sustained growth.Improve data collection and analysisStart with data collection and analysis. Major gaps indata on adolescents pose one of the biggest challenges topromoting their rights. While this report has examined arich vein of factual information on late adolescence, theknowledge base remains limited.Data on early adolescents aged 10–14 is relatively scarce,thus denying us the knowledge of the most important andcrucial period of adolescence. In addition, our understandingof pre-adolescence – middle childhood, ranging fromages 5–9 – is even more restricted, with fewer internationalindicators disaggregated for this age than for earlychildhood (0–4) or adolescence.Contribution to family decisions and volunteering in the community are all part of a youngperson’s rights and responsibilities. An adolescent boy gives a presentation on HIV andAIDS during a Sunday school class in Luanda Province, Angola.data collection and analysis, education and training, participation,establishing a supportive environment for adolescentrights and addressing poverty and inequities. Theproposals cited are not new, but they require a fresh lookand an intensification of efforts if we are to move towardsa ‘tipping point’ that can make a significant difference inthe lives of adolescents and their communities.Recent initiatives by the United Nations and others haveexpanded our understanding of such vital issues as violence,sexual abuse and reproductive health in adolescence – butnot all countries are covered. Additionally, there are aconsiderable number of areas, such as adolescent mentalhealth, disability and quality indicators for secondary education,where data in most developing countries are simplyunavailable in sufficient quantities. And in other areas,notably adolescent participation, the attempt to determinea set of core indicators to measure both inputs andoutcomes continues.It is not just more data that is needed; a deeper level ofdisaggregation and causal analysis is also imperative. Theavailable data suggest that poverty is a major factor preventingadolescents from fully participating in education,and that it sustains conditions that heighten their riskof protection abuses. Few countries, however, have keyindicators broken down by geographic location or wealthquintiles. Internationally accepted indicators disaggre-investing in adolescents 63
- Page 18 and 19: age at which individuals are legall
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- Page 26 and 27: HALLENGES ANDRealizing the rights o
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- Page 30 and 31: country are particularly serious, g
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- Page 34 and 35: sexes, there is still a considerabl
- Page 36 and 37: PERSPECTIVEFacing the challenge:Rep
- Page 38 and 39: FOCUS ONInequality in childhood and
- Page 40 and 41: ADOLESCENT VOICESAct responsibly:Nu
- Page 42 and 43: past decade, though not all of them
- Page 44 and 45: Yet other initiatives against child
- Page 46 and 47: PERSPECTIVEChernobyl 25 years later
- Page 48: Adolescents are deeply concernedabo
- Page 51 and 52: OPPORTUNITIESrisk of climate change
- Page 53 and 54: Poverty, unemploymentand globalizat
- Page 55 and 56: PERSPECTIVEThe effects of climate c
- Page 57 and 58: high-level competencies that are in
- Page 59 and 60: a window for possible economic deve
- Page 61 and 62: ADOLESCENT VOICESReclaim Tijuana:Pu
- Page 63 and 64: are exacerbating those risks, inclu
- Page 65 and 66: sentencing wherever possible, inclu
- Page 67 and 68: e stranded in poverty by conflict o
- Page 72 and 73: gated by age, disability, sex, ethn
- Page 74 and 75: FOCUS ONPreparing adolescents for a
- Page 76 and 77: the Ministry of Education, in colla
- Page 78 and 79: exactly ‘youth participation’ l
- Page 80 and 81: spaces as part of Aprendiz, the ‘
- Page 82 and 83: PERSPECTIVEAdolescent girls:The bes
- Page 84 and 85: ADOLESCENT VOICESFrom victims to ac
- Page 86 and 87: ReferencesCHAPTER 11United Nations,
- Page 88 and 89: 19United Nations Children’s Fund,
- Page 90 and 91: STATISTICAL TABLESEconomic and soci
- Page 92 and 93: Under-five deaths (millions)Region
- Page 94 and 95: STATISTICAL TABLESapproach is not t
- Page 96 and 97: TABLE 1. BASIC INDICATORSCountries
- Page 98 and 99: TABLE 1. BASIC INDICATORSUnder-5mor
- Page 100 and 101: TABLE 2. NUTRITIONCountries and ter
- Page 102 and 103: TABLE 2. NUTRITIONCountries and ter
- Page 104 and 105: TABLE 3. HEALTHCountries and territ
- Page 106 and 107: TABLE 3. HEALTH% of populationusing
- Page 108 and 109: TABLE 4. HIV/AIDSCountries and terr
- Page 110 and 111: TABLE 4. HIV/AIDSEstimatedadult HIV
- Page 112 and 113: TABLE 5. EDUCATIONCountries and ter
- Page 114 and 115: TABLE 5. EDUCATIONPrimary schoolNum
- Page 116 and 117: TABLE 6. DEMOGRAPHIC INDICATORSCoun
- Page 118 and 119: TABLE 6. DEMOGRAPHIC INDICATORSPopu
OPPORTUNITIESThere is no need to wait for the global economy tofully recover to take action. The solutions in question,from education to improved data collection, havebeen tried and proven to work. Evidence exists on themerits of investing in adolescents and young people.Particularly in the developing world, where the majorityof adolescents live, such investment has the potentialto rapidly accelerate progress in reducing povertyover the coming decades and to set economies on the pathto more equitable, sustained growth.Improve data collection and analysisStart with data collection and analysis. Major gaps indata on adolescents pose one of the biggest challenges topromoting their rights. While this report has examined arich vein of factual information on late adolescence, theknowledge base remains limited.Data on early adolescents aged 10–14 is relatively scarce,thus denying us the knowledge of the most important andcrucial period of adolescence. In addition, our understandingof pre-adolescence – middle childhood, ranging fromages 5–9 – is even more restricted, with fewer internationalindicators disaggregated for this age than for earlychildhood (0–4) or adolescence.Contribution to family decisions and volunteering in the community are all part of a youngperson’s rights and responsibilities. An adolescent boy gives a presentation on HIV andAIDS during a Sunday school class in Luanda Province, Angola.data collection and analysis, education and training, participation,establishing a supportive environment for adolescentrights and addressing poverty and inequities. Theproposals cited are not new, but they require a fresh lookand an intensification of efforts if we are to move towardsa ‘tipping point’ that can make a significant difference inthe lives of adolescents and their communities.Recent initiatives by the United Nations and others haveexpanded our understanding of such vital issues as violence,sexual abuse and reproductive health in adolescence – butnot all countries are covered. Additionally, there are aconsiderable number of areas, such as adolescent mentalhealth, disability and quality indicators for secondary education,where data in most developing countries are simplyunavailable in sufficient quantities. And in other areas,notably adolescent participation, the attempt to determinea set of core indicators to measure both inputs andoutcomes continues.It is not just more data that is needed; a deeper level ofdisaggregation and causal analysis is also imperative. Theavailable data suggest that poverty is a major factor preventingadolescents from fully participating in education,and that it sustains conditions that heighten their riskof protection abuses. Few countries, however, have keyindicators broken down by geographic location or wealthquintiles. Internationally accepted indicators disaggre-investing in adolescents 63
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