United Nations Day 2009

1. United Nations Day 2009 Launching of the Situation Analysis of Youth in Cambodia 23rd October 2009

2. Youth and Education Dr. Dy Sam Sideth UNESCO

3. Education Focus as means to poverty alleviation, leading culturally enriched lives, making informed decisions, and overall national and individual development… • Informal Education • Non-Formal Education • Formal Education

4. Current Status • Official school-age: 6-11: Primary; 12-14: Lower Secondary; 15-17: Upper Secondary • Literacy rate (aged 15-24): 85% (89% Male & 81% Female) • Primary level graduates: 81.1%; Dropout without complete primary level: 8.8% • Lower-secondary level graduates: 76.3%; Dropout without complete lower-secondary level: 21.8% • Upper-secondary level graduates: 82%; Dropout without complete upper-secondary level: 14.4%

5. Reflections and Challenges • Education for all – equal opportunity for all to gain access to quality education, thus educational facilities and school should be made available and accessible for all • Educational opportunity should be made inclusive regardless of sex, socioeconomic and ethnic background, and disabilities. • Expanding roles and increasing activities for non-formal education • Promoting opportunity for lifelong learning through libraries, community learning centers, print and electronic media, and enhancing dialogues

6. Conclusion • Cambodia possesses a large number of youth to be educated, trained and upgraded with innovative knowledge and skills for its overall development during this era of globalization. • Cambodia, at this time and in the long run, more skill-laborers with functional literacy and highly technical young people are much needed for its improved socioeconomic development and sustainability.

7. Youth and Employment Mr. So Chamnab ILO Ms. Uch Sovannalay, YAP Member, KYA

8. Youth and Employment Contents • Current Employment Situation • Challenges • Recommendations Prepared by Mr. SO Chamnab

9. Over the period 1997 to 2007, the unemployment rate for young people increased by 6.3 percentage points, the highest increase in the world. - Global Employment Trends, ILO, 2008, p.27- Current Employment Situation • Youth aged 15–24 are 26% of the population in 2004, and 22% in 2008 • 7% of youth aged 15-24 are unemployed • 20% of youth are unemployed in Phnom Penh • Annually, about 300,000 young job seekers enter the labor market • 60% of the youth workforce are found in the agriculture sector • 94,310 students were studying at universities in Cambodia, of this number; • 92% studied the service related skills • 5% studied industrial skills and • 3% studied agricultural skills, in 2006. • This young workforce generally suffers from low and poor levels of • education • Waged employment is less likely for women than men

10. Challenges Uneducated youth Low levels of educated youth Mismatch between education and labor needs As a young woman with incomplete primary school education – what work can I do? As a high school student – what will I do when I finish high school? As a university or vocational training student – how do I get practical experience? As a graduate – how do I find a job? Are there any jobs available for young people? Where to look for jobs? Do they have employment-related skills?

11. Recommendations • Review labour law, and core labour standards (Working condition, child labour protection) • Set up labor market information system (national employment agency/job centers) • Improving the skills of youth (education relevance and quality as well as the vocational training) • Promote entrepreneurship skills and youth enterprise development (small and medium enterprises) • Improving dialogue between stakeholders • Develop a Strategic Employment Plan (agriculture issue, migration and employment)

12. Youth and Health Ms. Hou Vimol UNFPA Mr. Teng Sam Ath, YAP Member, PHD

13. Youth and Health • Social and cultural transformations have shaped young people’s exposure to, and capacity to deal with, risk situation • Major challenges to youth health include: • Sexual and reproductive health issues (STI & HIV/AIDS, unwanted pregnancy, pregnancy-related illness and unsafe abortion, mental health (suicide) • Other causes include traffic accidents and injuries, drug abuse, family-based violence, gang violence, drowning and electrocution • Negative lifestyle factors: tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption.

14. Sexual and Reproductive Health • Age at first marriage: the mean age of first marriage in Cambodia is 23.3 years for women and 25.6 years for men (Census 2008) • Underweight: 28% & 19% of females (15-19 years) & (20-29) years are underweight (thin) • Unplanned pregnancy: 8% of women (15-19) have become mothers or are currently pregnant with their 1st child (CDHS 2005). • Abortion: Increased from 5% in 2000 to 8% in 2005 among women aged 15-49. • Maternal mortality: has not decreased in more than 10 years & it stands at 461 deaths per 100,000 live birth (census 2008)

15. Youth Awareness of Health-Related Issues • Contraceptive knowledge & Use: Knowledge of modern methods of contraception among 15 -19-year olds is high, at 97.3% • Perceptions about Marriage & Family Planning: Majority of women age 15-18 knew that early marriage or pregnancy caused to health consequences and negatively impact upon employment opportunity • Gender & culture-related issues: Traditional attitudes have shifted & young unmarried women can now participate in meetings/discussions and talk about SRH, family planning & abortion. • Knowledge of other impacts on health: Over 90% aged 10-14 & over 98% aged 15-24 know of prohibited drugs (UNFPA/RHIYA 2006).

16. Youth and HIV/AIDS and Awareness: • While HIV prevalence among adults has declined from 1.9% to 0.6%, infection has switched to people practicing high risk behaviors such as female sex workers (14%), men who have sex with men (8.7%) (NCHAD SSS 2005) & intravenous drug users (24.4%). • HIV prevalence among pregnant women aged 15-24 remains stable b/w 2003 & 2006, 0.36% & 0.41%. NAA research 2008 found appr. 43% of new infections occur in married women aged 15-49, - the prevalence for youth is not available. CDHS (2005) estimated of 0.2% for those aged 15-24. • Knowledge of HIV among youth aged 15-24 was high from 88% to 98% (98.3% for men & 98.7% for women). Almost 100% of both young males & females aged 10-24 heard about HIV/AIDS (UNFPA/RHIYA Endline Survey 2006)

17. Knowledge of other Impacts on Health • Tobacco: • Alcohol consumption: • Consumption of illicit drugs: • Accidents, injuries & suicide: • Opportunities for leisure & sport. is a lacking for Cambodian young people.  

18. Recommendations Policy: • Advocate for implementation of Cambodia’s signature on tobacco & alcohol control. • Advocate for the decriminalization of drug use to protect the rights of young drug users and prevent spread of HIV. • Enforce the age of marriage laws. • Expand health equity funds nationwide to ensure the poorest have access to free services at the service delivery points. Programme: • Continue to expand comprehensive health education. • Increase comprehensive access to accurate SRH info, the impacts of smoking, alcohol & drug abuse. • Improve health services through expanded youth counselling services & youth networks to ensure that at local level, there are social or medical counsellors & social volunteer workers

19. Recommendations (con’t) • Develop/support programmes that will reduce incidence of fatal & non-fatal injury among youth, with particular focus on mitigating suicides & road traffic accidents • Provide training of AYFHS Guidelines to key health settings for MARA • Social marketing of available contraception & safe abortion services for unmarried young people • Develop programmes with young people that facilitate critical thinking & problem-solving skills. Research: • The links between unwanted pregnancy among 15-24 year-olds & the incidence of abortion, particularly the reasons for the absence of a trained provider for abortions. • Contraceptive knowledge & use among unmarried youth • The situation of youth in geographically isolated communities. • The most at-risk youth population including street children, out-of-school & migrant youths from rural to urban areas & across borders. • HIV&AIDS prevalence among YP, disaggregated by ages groups of 15-19 & 20-24.

20. Youth and Vulnerability Ms. Kong Sophea UNIFEM Mr. Chan Pheakdey YAP Member, YFP

21. Youth and Vulnerability Overview Areas of Vulnerability • Vulnerability as a function of Poverty and Social Exclusion • Vulnerability as a function of Violence and Abuse • Vulnerability as a function of Physical and Mental Health • Vulnerability as a function of Migration

22. Overview • Youth: 15-30 years old, more analysis of 15-24 age group • 15-18 are still children: by parents or guardians shall be hold accountable • The report acknowledges the different aspect of vulnerability of each youth’s group according to ages, gender, ethnicity, and disability.

23. Vulnerability as a Function of Poverty and Social Exclusion • Majority of 26% of youth age 15-24 living in rural poor households, vulnerable to food insecurity, family’s debt bondage, lack of vocational skills, and hence unemployment or underemployment--factor leading to migration • Social Exclusion: gender, disability, ethnicity, and remoteness of communities

24. Vulnerability as a function of Physical and mental health • Street and Homelessness Youth: 10, 000-20, 000 (half of them are girls, is increasing at a rate of 20% every year): in access to education, lack of basic needs ( food, cloth), unsafe, unhygienic housings conditions • Orphan Children • Ethnic Youth: alcohol abuse and smoking ( 45% of young people in Rattanak Kiri and 40.9% in Rattakiri use alcohol) • Road trafficking accident cause permanent disability among young people, in particular male. And is the second leading cause of death for 10 – 17 year olds (about 280 deaths per year) • Drowning is the leading cause of death for 10 – 14 year olds • Suicide is the leading cause of death for 15 – 17 year olds

25. Vulnerability as a function of Violence and Abuse • Domestic violence, associated with poverty, mental illness, alcoholism and gambling • Sex crime ( rape) are more common among young female • Media and ICT can have positive benefits and it is also believed to influence behaviors that promote consumerism and violence among youth • Inadequacy in dealing with the juvenile case in the court system

26. Vulnerability as a function of Migration • Lack of livelihood resources and skills, absence of opportunity to go to school and lack of local employment opportunity contributing to youth’s migration • 250, 000 women migrated over the past few years in search of paid employment • Youth moves to the city and are vulnerable to drug abuse and manipulation by criminal gangs • International migration context: hard labor or sexual exploitation • Depression, poor living condition

27. Youth Participation and Rights Mr. Heang Path UNICEF Mr. Kheoun Phirum Lead facilitator, “We Can Do It” Program”, Prey Veng

28. Youth Participation and Rights • What is participation? • Current status • Obstacles to youthparticipation • What’s next?

29. What is participation?

30. Current status • Youth resembles a forgotten group; • Youth concerns not adequately represented & reflected in development priorities & budget; • No formal structures that bring youth into discussion of national development; • Limited ways to voice their perspectives & needs. If any, not institutionalized.

31. Obstacles to youth’s participation • Age hierarchy – respect for elder & authorities. • Knowledge hierarchy – perceived as less experienced. • Lack of enabling environment – family & community encouragement. • Education system – not impart knowledge & values needed to participate in democratic society. • Current practices & belief – hinders meaningful participation. • Lack of formal, institutionalized means for participation. • Volunteerism – not feasible for many.

32. What’s next? • Develop mechanisms & system to ensure youths’ voice are heard and taken into account, and youths are integral & dynamic part of development at national & sub-national levels; • Commune councilors & elders to change their perception about youth’s needs, concerns and rights. • Provide technical & financial support for finalization of national youth policy.

33. Use them or lose them?