Health of Adolescents in Papua New Guinea
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Health of Adolescents in Papua New Guinea apua New Guinea is the eastern half of the island Area: 462 840 sq kma of New Guinea located in Oceania and is the Population, 2008: 6 577 000b Plargest and most populated country of all the Rural-Urban Population: 87.5%/12.5%b Pacific island countries. It is divided administratively into Crude birth rate / Crude death rate, 2008: 31 per 1000/8 four regions: Southern Coastal Region, Northern Coastal per 1000c a Region, Highlands Region and Islands Region. The country’s Annual population growth rate, 2006: 2.7% per annum Human Development Index (HDI), 2010: 0.431 population is geographically and culturally diverse with (Rank: 137th of 169 countries)d over 700 cultural groups, many in remote rural areas. Human Poverty Index, 2007: 39.6% (Rank: 121st of 135 This presents logistical challenges in health care service countries)e delivery,1 with churches and community groups providing Gross National Income per capita (PPP int. $), 2009: US$ about 50% of all health and education services in the rural 2260f sector.2 Law and order remain a key development constraint Population living on <$1 (PPP int. $) a day, 1996: 35.8%g in Papua New Guinea.3 Population below the national income poverty line, 1996: 37.5%g POPULATION Table 1: Estimated number and percent of young people Papua New Guinea has a young by age and sex in Papua New Guinea, 2010 population with a median age of 20 Age Male Female Total years.4 The adolescent (10−19 years) (years) Number (%) of Number (%) of Number (%) of population makes up 22.7% of the Total Pop* Total Pop* otal Pop* total population of Papua New Guinea. 10–14 433 000 6.3 409 000 5.9 842 000 12.2 (Table 1) 15–19 371 000 5.4 351 000 5.1 722 000 10.5 EDUCATION 20–24 318 000 4.6 304 000 4.4 622 000 9.0 Total 1 122 000 16.3 1 064 000 15.4 2 186 000 31.7 Schooling in Papua New Guinea is 5 Source: World Population Prospects: The 2008 Revision. (May 2009). Population Division, Department of neither compulsory nor free. Most Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, 2009. [updated May 2009; cited 27 September 2010] http://esa. children have to walk long distances un.org/unpd/wpp2008/peps_population-by-age-and-sex_5x5.htm *Proportion was calculated based on 2010 population estimate of 6 905 000. to school because of the absence of transportation, resulting in half not going to school. Others 1 AusAID. Papua New Guinea [country page]. [updated 27 September cannot attend school because their parents cannot provide 2010; cited 27 September 2010]. Available from: http://www.ausaid. them with school fees, clothes or enough food.6 There have gov.au/country/papua.cfm been reports of children becoming sex workers to pay for 2 Papua New Guinea: Millennium Development Goals Progress Report. Government of Papua New Guinea and United Nations in Papua New their or their siblings’ school fees. There also have been Guinea, 2004. cases of children who drop out of school because of bullying 3 Working in fragile environments: A mid-term review of the Pacific and harassment, including sexual harassment.7 strategy (2005-2009). Asian Development Bank, 2008. 4 Papua New Guinea has a young population with a median age of 20 years. The adolescent (10–19 years) population makes up 22.7% of 6 Priorities of the poor in Papua New Guinea. Manila, Philippines: the total population of Papua New Guinea. (Table 1) Asian Development Bank, 2002. 5 Reports by States: Papua New Guinea. In: Committee on the 7 Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) and Child Rights of the Child. 35th session; 12-30 January 2004; Geneva. Sexual Abuse (CSA) in the Pacific: A Regional Report. United International Service for Human Rights. [cited 30 September 2010]. Nations Children’s Fund, United Nations Economic and Social Available from: http://olddoc.ishr.ch/hrm/tmb/treaty/crc/reports/ Commission for Asia and the Pacific and End Child Prostitution, Child crc_23-41/CRC_35.pdf Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes, 2006. Health of Adolescents in Papua New Guinea 1 Educational attainment: Table Table 2: Percentage distribution of the household population aged 10−–19 2 shows that the educational by highest education level attained, Papua New Guinea 2006 attainment of females aged 10−19 Age No formal Grades Grade 6 Grade 7+ Total Number was comparable to males of the education 1-5 same age group in 2006. A quarter of the male and 28.0% of the Total female household population aged 10–14 26.3 64.0 6.2 3.6 100% 6336 10-14 had no formal education.8 15–19 15.0 29.9 14.1 41.0 100% 4136 The 2006 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) showed that 39.6% Men of the household population (aged 10–14 24.8 65.6 6.0 3.7 100% 3411 5 and above) had no education or had not completed grade 1; 40.4% 15–19 12.9 31.7 14.4 41.0 100% 2098 had completed grades 1−6 and Women 19.9% had completed grade 7 or higher. 10–14 28.0 62.1 6.5 3.5 100% 2925 Generally, the proportion of the 15–19 17.1 28.1 13.7 41.1 100% 2038 urban household population Total 1 122 000 16.3 1 064 000 15.4 2 186 000 31.7 (42.5%) that had completed grade 7 or higher levels of education Source: Papua New Guinea Demographic and Health Survey: National Report, 2006. was three times that of the rural household population (16.2%). Table 3: Percentage of the household population 6−–24 years attending school by The proportion of the male age, sex and place of residence, Papua New Guinea, 2006 household population (23%) who Age Males Females Total had completed grade 7 or more group was higher than that of the female Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total household population (16.7%).9 6–10 61.9 39.4 41.9 58.4 37.8 40.0 60.3 38.6 41.0 Median number of years in 11–15 76.6 69.1 70.0 76.9 69.5 70.3 76.6 69.2 70.2 school: The median number of years in school for the household 16–20 50.9 41.2 42.8 39.6 32.0 33.2 45.4 36.7 38.0 population aged 10−14 was 2.9 21–24 16.4 10.1 11.5 11.5 4.3 5.6 14.0 6.9 8.3 years (males = 2.9 and females Total 54.2 45.1 46.4 48.0 40.2 41.3 51.3 42.7 43.9 = 2.8), and 6.4 years for the household population aged 15−19 Source: Papua New Guinea Demographic and Health Survey: National Report, 2006. (males = 6.4 and females = 6.3). However, in the total household population, the median number of School attendance: Less than half (43.9%) of the household years in school was 3.7 years for population aged 6-24 were attending school at the time of the men and 2.1 years for women.10 survey. The highest proportion of the household population attending school was in the 11−15 age group at 70.2%.11 (Table 3) 8 Papua New Guinea, Demographic and Health Survey 2006. Port Moresby and Calverton, Maryland, USA, National Statistical Office and ORC Macro, 2009. 9 Ibid. 10 Ibid. 11 Ibid. 2 Health of Adolescents in Papua New Guinea Gender parity index (GPI): The gender Table 4: Percent distribution of respondents by economic activity and gap in Papua New Guinea is the highest in the age, 2006 Pacific with about 80 girls for every 100 boys in Economic activity Men Women primary school and 65 girls to every 100 boys in secondary school.12 The GPI in primary level 15-19 20-24 15-19 20-24 enrolment was 0.84 in 2006; in secondary level Nonfarm work 5.8 19.9 6.4 17.2 enrolment, 0.62 in 1991; and in tertiary level Fish/farm money 3.7 6.7 2.8 3.8 enrolment, 0.55 in 1999.13 Fish/farm subsistence 18.1 30.6 23.9 35.3 ECONOMICS Student 46.5 13.1 38.8 5.3 Legislation: Papua New Guinea’s Housework 11.3 12.8 20.4 30.5 Employment Act No. 54 of 1978 prohibits the Unemployed 4.4 8.4 0.9 2.0 employment of young persons under the age Sick 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.4 of 11; prohibits the employment of a person Others 6.2 6.1 3.0 3.5 less than 16 years if the working conditions are Don’t know 0.6 0.4 0.8 0.3 injurious or likely to be injurious to the health Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 of the person; and permits employment but with restrictions for adolescents aged 11-16.14 Number 1853 1697 1898 1940 Source: Papua New Guinea Demographic and Health Survey: National Report, 2006. Labour force participation: The Population Reference Bureau reported that in 2005, 51% of females and Table 5: Economically active and unemployed population by age and sex, 2000 58% of males aged 15−19 were Age Men Women Unemployed 15 economically active. In 2000, Total Pop.