Child-headed households severely affectedby drought – UN

Children, especially boys, are seriously affected by Namibia’s current drought.

This is according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) country representative to Namibia, Samuel Orcan.

The organisation in a statement says it is concerned over the severe effects of hunger and drought on child-headed families in Namibia.

Some children are left to lead houses after their parents have left in search of greener pastures.

“Most parents have left their homes looking for jobs, so these househoolds are headed by children. Instead of the children staying in schools to learn, they go in search of a livelihood.

“Also, the girls in these family settings face serious protection challenges, hence the possibility of sex transactions cannot be ruled out. It is a big issue,” Orcan says.

In Namibia, it is estimated that 1,4 million people (48% of the analysed population) will face high levels of acute food insecurity between July and September this year, the statement reads.

El Niño-related weather conditions, including extremely low rainfall, have resulted in Lesotho becoming the latest country to declare a state of national food disaster, following similar declarations from Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, Unicef says.

The severe drought that has impacted large areas of southern Africa is threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in the six worst-affected countries.

This includes more than 270 000 children who are expected to suffer from life-threatening severe acute malnutrition this year.

ONLINE ABUSE

The Namibian earlier this month reported that Unicef says about 42,5% of Namibian children from the ages of 13 to 17 have experienced offline violence.

Unicef Namibia social policy manager Jacob Nyamadzawo says about 9% of these children were experiencing sexual exploitation and abuse on the internet.

He said this while presenting lawmakers with a situation report on Namibian children.

“About 19% of girls aged 14 to 19 have a child, while 22,4% of children under five do not have a birth certificate, and 53,1% of children are living in multidimensional poverty,” Nyamadzawo said.

The children’s parliament last week tabled a motion asking the president to declare a state of emergency on violence against children in Namibia.

Children’s parliament member Thomson Mwandingi, from the Otjozondjupa region, tabled the motion last week.