Sierra Leone-Report: Country at Crossroads-Challenges Facing Young People 6 Years After War-Girls
Author: Womens UN Report Network
Date: July 22, 2005
WUNRN
WOMEN’S COMMISSION FOR REFUGEE WOMEN
AND CHILDREN
The Future of Sierra
Leone
Leone
Read
our new report Country at a
Crossroads: Challenges Facing Young People in Sierra Leone Six
Years after the War. The report is based on a recent Women’s Commission
delegation to Sierra Leone, where we looked at educational and economic
opportunities for out-of-school youth.
DIRECT
LINK TO REPORT:
http://www.womenscommission.org/pdf/sl_youth.pdf
______________________________________________________________________
FOCUS ON SIERRA LEONE
Sierra Leone is still recovering from a brutal eleven-year civil war that
ended in 2002—a war that left 50,000 people dead and displaced 2 million,
nearly half of its population. Most of the combatants were children and young
people, who were forced to commit serious human rights violations, including
terrorizing civilians and amputating limbs. Rape was endemic.
Sierra Leone is ranked lowest in the world on the UN Human Development
Index. One in eight women dies during pregnancy or childbirth, compared to one
in 8,000 in the developed world. And one in four children dies before reaching
his or her fifth birthday.
As Sierra Leone moves out of a post-conflict period, there will likely be a
drop in financing. Forty percent of its budget is currently dependent on
foreign donors. Yet Sierra Leone needs resources more than ever to address many
of the root causes that gave rise to the war—including the marginalization of
and lack of opportunity for youth.
Read
our new report Country
at a Crossroads: Challenges Facing Young People in Sierra Leone Six Years after
the War.
See
our Sierra
Leone photo essay.
Learn more about the situation in Sierra Leone:
- Sierra
Leone country report, International Crisis Group - Sierra Leone news, statistics, background and maps,
UNHCR - Sierra Leone human rights overview, Human Rights Watch
Youth
Vulnerable
The Women’s Commission traveled to Sierra Leone in February 2008 as part of
its three-year global research and advocacy project for displaced out-of-school
youth. Without access to school and with few economic opportunities or
skills, young people are often left idle and are more vulnerable to sexual
abuse, economic exploitation and recruitment into armed groups. Less than
one-third of females over age 10 can read and write. Seventy percent of youth
are unemployed or underemployed.
Sixty-two percent of girls marry before age 18. Pregnant girls and young
mothers generally drop out of school to care for children. Poverty also forces
young people to work to support their families rather than attend school.
Although primary school is “free,” many families cannot afford related costs
for uniforms, transportation and books.
Glimmers of
Hope Amidst the Misery
We found that the most successful youth programs were those that combine
education and vocational skills training so young people can earn money while
going to school, or learn literacy skills while being apprenticed in a trade.
At the moment, most young people survive through petty trade and services, such
as selling in markets. Most are not making enough to earn a living or are being
trained for gender-stereotyped jobs. There is a disproportionate focus on labor
supply, while the demand for these services isn’t enough to absorb these young
people.
Another challenge that we came across was that teachers often are paid too
little and too late. Teachers are generally paid $30 to $90 a month or volunteer
their services. Many of the best teachers prefer to work for nongovernmental
organizations that offer higher salaries. Forty percent of teachers are
unqualified or uncertified. One exemplary program we found, the Ibis/CREPS
Accelerated Learning Program, condenses 6 years of primary school into 3 years
for girls who missed it during the war. It is also trains teachers while
putting them to work in classrooms, creating a new generation of teachers.
Learn more about what the Women’s Commission is doing with INEE to address
challenges around teacher compensation during and after crises.
Read more Women’s Commission resources on youth:
- Listening
to Youth: The Experiences of Young People in Northern Uganda - “Will you listen?”: Young Voices from
Conflict Zones - Precious
Resources: Adolescents in the Reconstruction of Sierra Leone - Untapped Potential: Displaced Youth
- From
the Ground Up: Education and Livelihoods in Southern Sudan - Education
in Darfur: A Critical Component of Humanitarian Response
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