Social Inclusion

Child poverty is widespread in GuineaBissau. Although the situation has improved since 2010, when two-thirds of the population was living in poverty, an estimated 58 per cent of the population still lives in poverty. Children under 5 years of age and those living in rural areas are the worse affected. The regions of Oio, Bafatá, Biombo and Gabú have the highest poverty incidence.¹

Almost a half of the poverty burden can be put down to poor living conditions, followed by education (31 per cent) and then health (22 per cent). The poverty incidence rate was 72 per cent when the head of household did not have primary school level education, compared to 26 per cent when the head of household reached secondary school.²

Amongst the most excluded are children living in some rural areas who are seen as ‘different’, such as a twin, a child with a disability or a child living with albinism. Many of these children do not access their rights at all including healthcare and education. Although research into their welfare is sparse, some studies suggest 59 per cent of children with disabilities do not attend school. Certain ethnic groups in remote rural areas see ‘different’ children as a reincarnation of bad spirits and subject them to psychological, physical and sexual violence, even infanticide.³