Child survival, poverty, and labor in Africa

Abstract

Children in Africa face harsh risks and are often subjected to hostile environments that severely limit their emotional, mental, physical, and social growth and development. That, in turn, significantly limits their prospects for childhood survival, increases their chances of having to enter into employment voluntarily or forcibly, and makes them susceptible to poverty. This paper examines and analyzes the plight of Africa's children in the context of the risks they face with respect to their mortality, their socio-economic security, and their engagement in economic activities. The trends and contributory factors are discussed and an analytical assessment is offered with policy implications for mitigating the consequences of child mortality, poverty, and labor on the African continent.

Notes

Kempe Ronald Hope, Sr., Ph.D., is an official with the United Nations (UN). Prior to joining the UN, he was Director of the Center of Specialization in Public Administration and Management and Professor of Development Studies at the University of Botswana. He has researched and published extensively on development issues in Africa. His most recent book is From Crisis to Renewal: Development Policy and Management in Africa (Brill Publishers, 2002). The views he expresses in this article are private and not necessarily those of the United Nations.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hope, Sr. Kempe Ronald

Kempe Ronald Hope, Sr., Ph.D., is an official with the United Nations (UN). Prior to joining the UN, he was Director of the Center of Specialization in Public Administration and Management and Professor of Development Studies at the University of Botswana. He has researched and published extensively on development issues in Africa. His most recent book is From Crisis to Renewal: Development Policy and Management in Africa (Brill Publishers, 2002). The views he expresses in this article are private and not necessarily those of the United Nations.