SYNTHESIS OF SECONDARY DATA ON CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN ESWATINI ©UNICEF Swaziland 2017/Karin September 2018 For UNICEF Eswatini Design and layout: www.itldesign.co.za EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CONTENTS List of abbreviations .................................................................................................viii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 7 Country overview ............................................................................................................ 8 BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................. 10 Demographic overview ............................................................................................... 10 Socio-economic overview ........................................................................................... 12 Gender ........................................................................................................................... 18 Legislation and policy ................................................................................................... 19 Financing of government policy on children and youth ............................................ 24 YOUNG CHILD SURVIVAL AND DEVELOPMENT ........................................................... 25 Maternal and child health ............................................................................................. 25 Maternal health ........................................................................................................ 25 Infant and child health .............................................................................................. 27 Immunization ........................................................................................................... 29 Infants and HIV ........................................................................................................ 32 Food security and nutrition .......................................................................................... 33 Food security ........................................................................................................... 34 Stunting .................................................................................................................... 35 Wasting and underweight ........................................................................................ 37 Micronutrients .......................................................................................................... 38 Breastfeeding and complementary feeding ............................................................. 38 Overweight .............................................................................................................. 40 Nutrition policy environment .................................................................................... 40 iii SYNTHESIS OF SECONDARY DATA ON CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN ESWATINI Water, sanitation and hygiene .................................................................................... 40 Water supply ............................................................................................................ 40 Sanitation ................................................................................................................. 42 Hygiene .................................................................................................................... 43 Birth registration and documentation ......................................................................... 45 Early childhood development ...................................................................................... 46 Pre-school education ........................................................................................................ 46 ADOLESCENT PROTECTION, LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT .................................. 49 Violence and abuse ....................................................................................................... 49 Violence against children ......................................................................................... 49 Child trafficking and sexual exploitation ................................................................... 51 Child marriage and harmful cultural practices .......................................................... 52 Child protection system ........................................................................................... 53 Children and the justice system ................................................................................... 54 The justice system ................................................................................................... 54 Children in conflict with the law ............................................................................... 54 Child participation in the justice system .................................................................. 55 Education ....................................................................................................................... 56 Primary education .................................................................................................... 56 Secondary and vocational education ........................................................................ 59 Science, technology, engineering and mathematics ............................................... 62 Vocational education, training and skills building ..................................................... 63 Out-of-school children and child labour .................................................................... 65 Education management information system ........................................................... 65 HIV prevention, care and treatment ............................................................................ 66 iv INTRODUCTION EQUITABLE CHANCES IN LIFE ........................................................................................ 74 Children without parental care ................................................................................... 74 The social protection system ....................................................................................... 75 Overview .................................................................................................................. 75 Assistance currently in place ................................................................................... 77 Gaps and limitations ................................................................................................. 80 KEY ISSUES THAT STAKEHOLDERS NEED TO ADDRESS ............................................. 82 Young child survival and development ....................................................................... 82 Maternal and child health ......................................................................................... 82 Food security and nutrition ...................................................................................... 82 Water, sanitation and hygiene ................................................................................. 83 Birth registration ...................................................................................................... 84 Early childhood development ................................................................................... 84 Adolescent protection, learning and development .................................................... 85 Violence and abuse .................................................................................................. 85 Children and the justice system ............................................................................... 85 Basic education ........................................................................................................ 85 HIV prevention, care and treatment ......................................................................... 86 Equitable chances in life ............................................................................................... 86 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................... 88 v SYNTHESIS OF SECONDARY DATA ON CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN ESWATINI Figures: Figure 1: Map of Eswatini .......................................................................................... 8 Figure 2: Population of Eswatini, 1904-2017 ............................................................ 11 Figure 3: Childbearing status of girls and women aged 15-19, MICS 2014 ............. 11 Figure 4: Number and proportion of children aged 0-14 by area, 2017 Census ....... 12 Figure 5: GDP growth in Southern African countries, 2013-2016 ........................... 13 Figure 6: Poverty and extreme poverty rates by area, Eswatini Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2016/17 ................................................................ 14 Figure 7: IPC classification by area, 2017 ................................................................. 15 Figure 8: Profile of extreme poverty and children in Eswatini, 2016/17 ................... 16 Figure 9: Number of deprivations faced by children, MODA analysis based on 2014 MICS .........................................................................................................