Main problems faced by children in Guyana
There are many problems faced by children in Guyana, we have listed below are the most important ones we would like to highlight:
Poverty
Guyana is one of the poorest Caribbean countries. 35.1% of the population lives under the poverty line of $1 per day. This leads to numerous cases of malnutrition and other childhood difficulties, including forcing children to work in order to meet their families’ needs.
Education
An increasing rate of children, especially boys, abandons their schooling in order to work and fulfill their responsibility to their families’ economic situation.
Abuse
Physical punishments are still a common practice in Guyanese families, schools, and other institutions.
Right to Nondiscrimination
Discrimination is still present against young girls and other vulnerable groups, particularly minorities, the poor, and handicapped children.
Health Care
Although the child mortality rate under 5 years old has been cut in half over the last 10 years to 33‰, it is still too high. This is caused both by a high number of malaria cases,
Another problem is the high rate of teenage pregnancy, in part due to a lack of sexual education. This lapse leads to a rapid progression of HIV/AIDS among young people. Many children and teenagers have been infected.
Children in the Streets
An increasing number of children are living in the streets, either as orphans or far from their families, because of a lack of governmental measures meant to address the problem.
These children do not attend school and have terrible hygiene, gathering around restaurants, fast-food chains, and supermarkets in the downtown business area of Georgetown.
These children survive by stealing or working as fruit vendors. Because of their situation, they are more likely to be victims of every kind of violence, including sexual. Without a family life, drug usage is common among these children. The lack of adult supervision drives many of these minors to criminal activity, including theft and drug trafficking.
