HUNGER KILLS SWAZI CHILDREN

Hunger and lack of medicine kill up to one Swazi child in seven before they reach the age of five.

Of these, 70 percent die before their first birthday.

The recently published National Demographic and Health Survey shows that the infant mortality rate stands at 85 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The survey conducted for the Swaziland Ministry of Health and Social Welfare found that more young children would survive if they received a full series of recommended vaccinations.

According to a news report in the Times of Swaziland (30 May 2008), the survey revealed, ‘Children should also obtain early treatment for common childhood diseases and have adequate nutrition.’

One in four children in Swaziland fail to receive the full number of recommended vaccinations in their first year.

The report also stated that about three in 10 children under the age of five were victims of stunted growth, while an additional 10 percent reached adulthood severely stunted.

The report stated, ‘Stunting reflects failure to receive adequate nutrition over a long period and is also affected by recurrent and chronic illnesses.’

The report also suggested that there would be 200,000 orphaned and vulnerable children in Swaziland by the year 2010. This represents about 20 percent of the total population.

According to the Times, the survey also pointed out that whether orphaned or not, children living in households in which parents or other adults were very sick, often face serious hardships, such as chronic illnesses.

In a separate study conducted by the National Children’s Coordinating Unit (NCCU) it was revealed that 70 percent of children in Swaziland fail to complete the full 10 years of basic schooling.

The NCCU is now asking stakeholders to join it in formulating new child-related policies.

I wish the unit well, but the problems highlighted in the survey are not new. Swaziland has ratified international conventions on child rights and then ignored them (think, for example, about the use of corporal punishment). Also, the Swazi Constitution says education is a basic human right, but the education system is in a mess.

It is no coincidence that the children of Swaziland’s ruling elite go abroad for their education. That shows us how much they really care.