|
|
|
| Press Release
Many of region’s young lack even basic knowledge on HIV/AIDS
UNICEF
survey of 10,000 young people finds them optimistic about the future
BANGKOK/BEIJING/NEW YORK, 14 May 2001 – Children and adolescents
in East Asia and the Pacific are generally optimistic about the
future, but many appear woefully unprepared to deal with the rapidly
growing threat of HIV/AIDS in the region, according to the results
of a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) survey.
The survey, Speaking Out! Voices of Children and Adolescents
in East Asia and the Pacific, asked questions of approximately
10,000 children and adolescents 9-17 years old in 17 countries
and territories. The sample is representative of some 300
million young people in the 9-17 age group, and the survey is
believed to be the largest and most comprehensive hearing of the
views of young people ever carried out in the region.
The UNICEF survey found that about 80 per cent of respondents believe
their lives will be better that that of their parents, while some
74 per cent think life in their communities will be better in the
future than it is now.
|
Asked about their level of knowledge
on HIV/AIDS, 60 per cent of those 9-13 years old and 25 percent
in the 14-17 age group say they know “absolutely nothing”
or “only the name.” In addition, 70 per cent of
those 9-13 and 35 per cent of 14-17 years old says they are
ignorant about sexual relationships. The number of 14-17 year
olds who say they lack even basic knowledge about HIV/AIDS
translates into 33 million across the region.
|
Other questions related to HIV/AIDS were asked only of the older
age group. Sixty-eight per cent of the respondents correctly identify
unprotected sexual intercourse as a major route of HIV/AIDS transmission,
but only 41 percent say they know what a condom is.
Some 2.4 million people are already infected with HIV/AIDS in
East Asia and the Pacific, and it is projected that level of new
infections will increase dramatically in the region over the coming
years.
“The results of this survey should serve as a wake up call
to the governments and societies in this region on how much more
needs to be done to educate young people, especially about HIV and
AIDS,” said UNICEF’s Mehr Khan, Regional Director of its
East Asia and Pacific Regional Office. “AIDS knows no borders
and no country can consider itself immune. If this region is to
avoid the fate of sub-Saharan Africa, where the spread of the epidemic
has been truly catastrophic, we need decisive and urgent action.”
The survey employed face-to-face interviews with young people in
their homes, but without the presence of parents or other third
parties that might influence their responses. The young people interviewed
were a representative sample of the 9-17 year old population in
each country and territory in terms of age, gender, area (urban/rural)
and socio-economic status. Questions focused on their knowledge
about children’s rights, HIV/AIDS and other issues as well
as their perceptions and opinions on family life, school and society
in general. The survey has an overall average sampling error of
plus or minus (+/-) 1.2 per cent.
Highlights of the survey’s results were presented to the Fifth
Ministerial Consultation in East Asia and the Pacific on Shaping
the Future for Children during its opening session Monday at Beijing’s
Great Hall of the People. The May 14-16 Ministerial Consultation,
hosted by the Peoples Republic of China, brings together government
ministers and other senior officials with representatives of UNICEF,
other UN agencies, donor countries, non-government organisations
and young people to focus on progress already made for children
and to develop the strategies and targets needed for the future.
Countries with the highest number of children and adolescents saying
“absolutely nothing” or “only know the name”
in regard to knowledge about HIV/AIDS were
East Timor (98%)
Lao PDR (68%)
Indonesia
Philippines (62%)
Mongolia (54%)
China (48%)
Republic of Korea (47%)
But even in countries such as Thailand, Cambodia and
Malaysia, the number of respondents lacking basic knowledge
on HIV/AIDS ranges from 23 per cent to 36 per cent.
Another major focus of the survey was young people’s knowledge
of rights and their perception of whether those rights are being
respected. Under the Convention of the Rights of the Child, which
has been ratified by all of the region’s countries, governments
are required to use all the means at their disposal to uphold the
rights and safeguard the well being of children.
The survey found that although 61 per cent of the respondents say
children have rights like adults, only one in five claims to know
“a lot” about those rights. The 39 per cent of respondents
who answer “no” or “do not know” to the question
of whether children have rights, represents some 117 million children
and adolescents across the region.
In addition, more than 20 per cent of the respondents believe their
rights to information, freedom to express ideas and opinions, and
not to be hurt or mistreated are not respected in their countries.
Asked to spontaneously identify their rights, the right to education
was named by 51 per cent of respondents, the right to freedom of
expression by 32 per cent, and the right not to be hurt or mistreated
by 21 per cent.
A little over 50 per cent of those surveyed report being happy
“most of the time,” while 47 per cent say they are happy
sometimes. The large majority of respondents report good relationships
with their parents, and say the main values and principles they
are taught at home – to respect others, tell the truth, help
others and not to steal – are applied in their daily lives.
However, 41 per cent of respondents say that when a decision that
concerns them is made at home, their own opinions and feelings are
not adequately taken into consideration.
More than half of the children and adolescents say there is “screaming”
in their homes, while 14 per cent report that there is often “hitting.”
Some 23 per cent say that when they misbehave their parents beat
them.
One in 10 respondents report being the victim of a robbery, while
29 per cent say it is “sometimes unsafe” or “always
unsafe” at night in their community, neighborhood or city.
Nearly 40 per cent of the respondents report that they have friends
who have smoked cigarettes, and that 20 per cent of these friends
have become “addicted” to smoking. About one quarter of
respondents say they have friends who have tried alcohol, and that
7 per cent of these are addicted. In addition, 6 per cent say they
have witnessed friends using illegal drugs, while 4 per cent have
seen friends sniffing glue or other chemicals.
A little over half of those surveyed believe that some children
in their country are treated differently or are not well accepted
compared with other children, while 24 per cent say they themselves
are treated differently or not well accepted.
The survey was carried out in Australia, Cambodia, China, East
Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia,
Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore,
Thailand and Viet Nam.
The survey was commissioned by the UNICEF East Asia and Pacific
Regional Office to give the region’s young people the opportunity
to widely share their views, opinions and concerns with their governments,
families and the public. UNICEF and its partners will use the data
and information gathered by the survey to advocate for the rights
of young people and influence policy decisions. The region’s
governments will be encouraged to address the major issues and concerns
noted in the survey’s findings, and to carry out more detailed
surveys of them at the country level.
The survey was supported by UNICEF Country Offices in East Asia
and the Pacific; the Australian Committee for UNICEF; the Hong Kong
Committee for UNICEF; the Korean Committee for UNICEF; and UNAIDS.
It was carried out by Research International Asia (Thailand) and
its affiliate and partner firms around the region.
A brief report on the survey’s highlights, which is also embargoed
until Monday, May 14, will be on the UNICEF web site within the
week. A full statistical analysis and interpretation of all the
survey’s results is being prepared and will be distributed
at a later date.
* * *
For further information, please contact:
Mark Thomas, UNICEF East
Asia and the Pacific Regional Office, Bangkok, Thailand,
Tel: UNICEF EAPRO, Bangkok, direct (66 2) 356 9407; switchboard
(66 2) 356 9499
UNICEF Beijing, switchboard (86 10) 6532 3131 thru 38
May 14-17:
UNICEF Press Office/Hibiscus Room, Great Wall Sheraton Hotel: (86
10) 65 90 55 66 ext. 2356
Liza Barrie, Media Chief,
UNICEF New York, (212) 326-7593
e-mail: lbarrie@unicef.org
|
|
|
