Status of selected socially- socially-excluded groups

Recent experience on the continent points to some, albeit slow, progress towards achieving the MDGs. The progress observed varies widely within and between countries, for ex­

ample, while Ghana and Uganda are on track to reduce poverty by fifty per cent between 1990 and 2015, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea are lagging behind with respect to achieving this goal (EGA, 2006). The unequal progress towards social develop­

ment, including the MDGs, is partly caused by the assumption that factors driving depri­

vation are uniform across all groups. It is, however, expected that many African countries will be negatively affected by the economic and financial crises, which may make it even more difficult for theses countries to achieve most of the MDGs.

The lack of access to social services by certain excluded groups is not only illustrated by varying poverty levels across groups and communities or skewed distribution of assets and income in African societies, but involves broader economic, political and social dimen­

sions. People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) suffer from social stigma and discrimi­

nation regardless of their income status. Similarly, women's lack of access to productive capacities in many parts of the continent is due to their gender not income. Material drivers, income poverty, rural/urban disparities, and relational drivers, low political capi­

tal, cultural norms, low access to information, create a seamless web of deprivation, thus acting as a dragger on economic and social development in Africa.

This chapter therefore not only assesses regional trends in social development for selected socially excluded groups in Africa from 1990 to 2008 using sex and age disaggregated vari­

ables on education, heath, employment and basic needs but also emphasizes the need of focusing on critically marginalized groups, and their significance in Africa's development.

In particular, emphasis was placed on the following vulnerable groups: orphans and vul­

nerable children, Youth, Persons with disability, Women, PLWHA, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and older persons, who for years have been neglected or actively discrimi­

nated from policy formulation processes resulting in high levels of inequality and extreme marginalization. These groups, not only represent a significant population of Africa, but also people that live below the minimum threshold of well-being, and the groups most de­

nied access to their basic human rights. The list which is by no means exhaustive provides indications of exclusion and social development.

This chapter also relies on information from 5 country studies (the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, the Sudan), conducted in part fulfillment in producing the Report on social exclusion and the MDGs in Africa (EGA 2008). Data inadequacies remain a challenge which made it difficult to accurately estimate the distribution and carry out trend analysis of all socially excluded groups between countries and within countries (rural and urban areas).

The African Social Development Report 2009

Dimensions of vulnerability including health, age, income, gender, political power and poverty have been explored within the specified marginalized groups. In some cases, the levels and trends of vulnerability are articulated more in some of the excluded groups than in others depending on the availability of data. This structure was adopted as opposed to categorizing the marginalized groups within the dimensions of vulnerability because it articulated better the data and information that could be used to improve planning, advocacy and management of the specific vulnerable groups. This therefore implies that vulnerability categories are not absolute, but have to be assessed in relation to a specific decision-making framework.

Changes in the structure and distribution of populations are both the cause and an effect of vulnerability. In 2008, UNFPA estimated Africa's population at 987 million with an aver­

age annual population growth rate of 2.3 percent. The International Conference on Popula­

tion and Development (ICPD) Africa Regional Review report, 2009 also points out that in the last eight years ( 2000- 2008), there has been a population explosion of about 191.3 in Africa's population despite the high number of AIDS related deaths, conflict and other causes of mortality. This implies that given the current population growth rate, Africa's population will increase to nearly 2 billion by 2050.

One salient feature of Africa's population is that it continues to be youthful, with children and young people below age 15 constituting about 40 percent of the total population, and children and youth aged 30 and below constitute over 70 percent of the total population of the continent (ECA, UNFPA and AUC, 2009). It is also expected that by 2050 elderly persons will constitute 10 per cent of the continent's population. Notably, the increase in other vulnerable groups continues to increase with the increase in Africa's population.

Since the continent is expected to have more working-age adults by 2050, this will create a window of opportunity for increased production and socio-economic development. This scenario therefore calls for sustained efforts on the continent to address the needs of young people. The demographic trends of each vulnerable group have policy implications, which would require more attention in the areas of health (reproductive health, HIV/AIDS), food security, education, employment and migration.

4.1 Young People (Children and Youth)

4.2 Vulnerable children

Children living in, "especially difficult circumstances" are vulnerable to many infectious and non- infectious diseases because of the miserable socioeconomic conditions in which they live. In many African countries, these are the majority, since many come from impov­

erishment families or are affected by other social and political factors.

Placing Social Integration at the Centre of Africa's Development Agenda

Today, African children are vulnerable largely because of the AIDS pandemic, civil con­

flict, wars, trafficking, sexual and economic exploitation, poverty, drought and floods.

Other factors leading to child vulnerability include the demand for: cheap domestic and agricultural labour; child soldiers; adoption; traditional practices and attitudes; early mar­

riage and; lack of birth registration.

Children who survive these atrocities may face malnutrition, illness, physical and psy­

chosocial trauma, impaired cognitive and emotional development, and limited access to education.

In this report, the definition of vulnerable children supports the construct that the loss of either or both parents likely leads to vulnerability and acknowledges other factors that may

make children vulnerable.

A key oversight in the literature on vulnerability of children in Africa mostly focuses on the well-being of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS and perhaps conflict and there are hardly any studies that compare the experiences of children who are orphaned by other conditions such as drought, floods or orphans with non-orphans. Available data limits the analysis of vulnerable children to those who have been orphaned by AIDS. While recog­

nizing the limitations of the analysis, data presented in this report indicates that orphans in Africa are increasingly becoming more in number and are more vulnerable than non-orphans.

In 2005, the World State of Children's report estimated that 18 million African children under the age of 18 would become orphaned from HIV/AIDS alone and this is expected to jump to more than 25 million. UNICEF also, projects that in 12 African countries, orphans alone will comprise of at least 15 per cent of all children under the age of 15 by 2010.

Although conventions on the rights of the child have been ratified by a large proportion of African states their conversion to policies lags behind because significant child labour and prostitution numbers remain on the continent. In addition. Child labour is a major prob­

lem in Africa, particularly in the agricultural and informal service sectors. It is estimated that 49.3 million children in sub-Saharan Africa are involved in the labour force (ILO, 2006a). Children are forced into the labour force by their families in order to help alleviate the immediate impact of extreme poverty and hunger or as indentured servants.

A lot of what these children require is associated with the needs of the youth. Better health, education, nutrition, and shelter which are detailed in the latter sections of this report.

However beyond these needs, are psychosocial and emotional supports recognizing that they are infants and still need to enjoy their childhood just like any other child. Therefore, African governments, policy makers and programme implementers and communities at large should not only place more attention to this excluded group that has been ripped of their primary care givers but highlight the importance of focusing on interventions that will have maximum impact on the health and well-being of the children (Skinner, 2006).

The African Social Development Report 2009

4.3 The Youth

The United Nations defines Youth as "individuals aged between 15 and 24". In Africa the youth account for 20 per cent of the population yet they are socially excluded. In countries with very high fertility rates, young people comprise 50 per cent of the population and in most African countries the number of people below 25 years of age is more than 60 per cent of their population. Even with projected declines after 2030, the African youth population will continue to rise to 350 million (17.7 per cent of the population) in Africa, by 2050. Youth population in North and Southern Africa are projected to decline to 13.9 and 16.5 per cent respectively by 2050 whereas the youth population in East, Central and West Africa is expected to continue increasing.

Figure 4.1

Youth Trends in Africa

250,000 1

1 200,000 ur 3 w

£ 150,000 c o

Ü 100,000 3 a

^ o 50,000 +-• D

YEARS (1990-2008)

Source: ECA-African Center for Statistics data, 2009

Overall, the number of male youths across the continent over the years has been slightly greater than that of female youth. Also, by 2008, the youth population in Africa was 3.5 times higher than that of older persons.