Guyana

Background

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After years of gang violence, ethnic strife and a devastating flood in 2005, Guyana is enjoying greater political stability and a strong economy. Poverty, however, remains pervasive, especially among those under 18, who comprise 45 per cent of the population.

Issues facing children in Guyana

• Guyana’s rates of infant and child mortality are more than double the average for Latin America and the Caribbean. The maternal mortality rate of 170 per 100,000 live births is also among the highest in the region.
• Chronic malnutrition is prevalent, with more than one-third of children under five seriously malnourished.
• HIV/AIDS is taking a terrible toll in Guyana. The virus has orphaned at least 7,000 children, or 1 per cent of the entire population.
• Primary education is nearly universal, with attendance topping 96 per cent in most regions. The quality of education, however, is poor: A third of children who complete sixth grade lack basic literacy skills. Secondary school attendance stands at only 69 per cent.
• Violence against and abuse of children remain a concern in Guyana, where 74 per cent of children were subjected to psychological or physical punishment by their mothers, caretakers or other adult household members.
• Guyana’s child labour level of 16 per cent is the highest in the region.

Activities and results for children

• UNICEF and its partners provided support for victims of the 2005 flood, establishing dozens of temporary shelters and preventing the spread of disease. Thousands of women and children received food and safe water. Hundreds of schools were fumigated, allowing 83,000 children to return to classes. The ‘Moving On Together’ after-school programme trained volunteers in flood-affected villages to provide psycho-social support to local children and families.
• UNICEF supports Immunization Week activities with an emphasis on reaching children in remote areas. To encourage vaccinations, 1,000 backpacks with the slogan ‘I Have Been Immunized, Have You?’ were distributed to children.
• At UNICEF’s urging, the government has committed to offering universal access to health services for preventing the mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
• An effort organized by UNICEF, UNAIDS and the International Cricket Commission is using the popular sport to highlight the situation of children and young people affected by HIV/AIDS. Visiting players and officials during the 2007 Cricket World Cup spoke out in support of the Unite for Children  Unite Against AIDS campaign.
• UNICEF has been a partner in the ‘Stamp it Out’ initiative, supporting the completion of the Sexual Offense Bill and the government’s commitment to the eradication of sexual abuse of children.
• Reporting of child abuse has increased in the wake of public awareness campaigns. At a recent demonstration, 2,000 children demanded the right “to be heard and not hurt.”
• UNICEF helped develop a youth media network, Youth Media Guyana, through which children can advocate for their own rights in school newsletters and a monthly, self-produced 11-minute television news bulletin.