Jordan Times
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Queen Rania receives UNICEF
State of World's Children 2005 report
By Dalya Dajani
AMMAN — In a world plagued by war, poverty and disease, orphaned children like
Bashar Salim, 13, know all too well about life's cruel realities.
Although blessed with love and security provided by his caregivers at the SOS
village, Salim faced his own struggles growing up in a world in which he felt
vulnerable and “different.”
However, the young boy, who shared his testimony at the launch of UNICEF's State
of the World's Children (SOWC) 2005 report yesterday, described how a few basic
life skills strengthened his will and swept away his insecurities.
“We learned to accept who we are and not to feel ashamed, or that we are lacking
or incomplete,” said Salim, referring to the UNICEF Basic Life Skills Project,
introduced to the SOS villages two years ago.
“We can now communicate our feelings better to other children and adults,
explain who we are and that we hurt just like others do,” he added.
Salim's testimony, delivered in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania, was
highlighted in a special national publication which supplemented the global
report, “Childhood Under Threat.”
Working along the global report's themes of poverty, AIDS and conflict, the
national publication “Children Protect Themselves” reflects the Jordanian track
in helping children confront the daily challenges they face through UNICEF's
Basic Life Skills Project.
The initiative, which has so far reached more than 9,000 youth across the
country, engages participants in interactive exercises that help adolescents
understand themselves better, interact positively with others and learn more
about critical health issues.
Queen Rania, who has continued to place children and family-based welfare at the
top of the national agenda, was presented with the UNICEF reports at the launch.
The Queen was accompanied by Chief Chamberlain HRH Prince Raad, Higher Youth
Council President Mamoun Noureddine and Amman Mayor Nidal Hadid.
Salim described the Basic Life Skills Project as a life-line for young people
seeking strategies to cope with life's everyday challenges.
“I used to avoid crowds and group discussions, but learning some basic life
skills raised my self-esteem and enriched my principles and knowledge. It helped
me speak freely about the things that mattered to me,” said Salim.
As an orphan, Salim is one of millions of other children around the world facing
different struggles in their life.
According to the SOWC report, HIV/AIDS, armed conflict and poverty in particular
are considered to be the gravest threats to the quality of children's lives.
There are currently 15 million orphaned children around the world, most of whom
have lost their parents to AIDS. Around 270 million children lack access to
healthcare services, 400 million do not have access to safe water, while 90
million children are severely food-deprived
Although the Kingdom does not encounter these problems in a similar magnitude as
some other countries, it faces other pressing challenges to secure children with
a better quality of life.
For example, while Jordan successfully reduced under-five child mortality by 30
per cent over the past decade, under-one mortality rates remain a concern, along
with the prevalence of child malnutrition among poor households.
According to a 2002 national health survey, 10 per cent of children under the
age of 5 are severely deprived of essential micronutrients as a result of poor
dietary intake.
Poverty has also affected the quality of children's health as poor and
uneducated women in remote areas overlook the value of pre- and post-natal care.
According to national survey, some 5 per cent of women still give birth without
access to a skilled attendant, which may lead to potential complications later.
The scourge of HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS, considered taboo subject in the largely conservative Arab world,
remains little discussed with limited opportunities for prevention.
Though not a dire situation as in other countries, the threat of HIV/AIDS in the
Kingdom is one that health experts acknowledge as having the potential to
develop unless preventive action awareness is sustained.
The National AIDS programme reported a total of 362 HIV/AIDS cases of which 68
have died. Health officials in the country, however, put the figure at much
higher.
According to the SOWC report, over 550,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in
the Middle East. With an increase of over 300 per cent in the number of reported
HIV cases in the last three years, it is the fastest growing disease in the
region. Increasing risk factors include premarital and extramarital sex,
commercial sex, injecting drug use and homosexuality.
Young girls and women continue to represent the most vulnerable group, as
prevailing gender inequalities and discrimination limits their knowledge of the
risks involved and access to adequate treatment.
The global report revealed that three out of four young people living with HIV
in the Arab world are young girls. According to UNAIDS figures, more than half
of girls aged 15 to 19 have either never heard about AIDS or have at least one
major misconception about how HIV is transmitted.
However, with the aid of a training manual developed by UNICEF, local youth and
advocates in the field are learning more about the disease through workshops and
community-based awareness initiatives.
UNICEF Jordan Representative Anne Skatvedt said the agency's partnership with
the Ministry of Health was a valuable investment in raising awareness about AIDS
as a tool for prevention.
“Jordan has a clear window of opportunity to limit the spread of AIDS through
prevention and peer awareness. We have so far reached out to some 500 people
under our joint initiatives, with many more still to be covered ahead,” said
Skatvedt.