DailyMirror.lk:
Investing in the world’s 1.2 billion adolescents aged 10-19 can break entrenched cycles of poverty and inequity, UNICEF has said in its 2011 State of the World’s Children report.
“Greater investment in the education and training of adolescent girls could break the root causes of poverty and discrimination and significantly contribute to the growth of Sri Lanka’s economy,” Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister Dullas Allhapperuma said.
The Minister was speaking at a ceremony to launch UNICEF State of the World’s Children report 2011 titled ‘Adolescence: An Age of Opportunity’ in Colombo in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Skills Development.
The State of the World’s Children report states that strong investments during the last two decades have resulted in enormous gains for young children up to the age of 10. The 33 per cent drop in the global under-five mortality rate shows that many more young lives have been saved, in most of the world ‘s regions girls are almost as likely as boys to go to primary school, and millions of children now benefit from improved access to safe water and medicines such as routine vaccinations.
“Adolescence is a critically important age. Young people who are poor or marginalized are less likely to make the transition to secondary education during adolescence, and they are more likely to experience exploitation, abuse and violence such as domestic labour and child marriage, especially if they are girls.
“Girls who marry early are most at risk of being caught up in a negative cycle of premature child-bearing, high rates of maternal mortality and child under nutrition. Girls also experience higher rates of domestic and/or sexual violence than boys, and are more susceptible to the risk of HIV infection,” the report said.