YOUTH AT RISK IN BUFFALO CITY: An Assessment

WEB ABSTRACT

A LARGE percentage of youth in Buffalo City continue to engage in risky behaviour like unprotected sex and having multiple sexual partners, despite the known threat posed by HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, unemployment and lack of education remain huge impediments to youth development, with the vast majority of young people between the ages of 21 and 28 unemployed and with no income whatsoever.

These are among the key findings of a new FHISER research report commissioned by Buffalo City Municipality to evaluate the current situation of youth at risk within the municipality.

With regard to sexual behaviour, the study highlights a worrying level of irresponsibility in the face of HIV, and what appears to be a general lack of concern about contracting the virus. So, for example, while one in five male respondents said they had had 11 or more sexual partners, 20% of sexually active youths said they had taken no precaution against HIV infection the last time they had sex. This despite the fact that an overwhelming majority of respondents (97.8%) said they had been taught about ways to prevent HIV/Aids and other STIs.

Further underlining this apparent disregard for the dangers associated with unprotected sex, only 15% of youths listed HIV and Aids among their main concerns. An interesting phenomenon – which has also been observed in similar studies in other parts of the country – sees boys and young men showing much less concern about HIV and Aids than do girls and young women. To wit, roughly 1 in 5 girls and young women listed HIV and Aids as among their main concerns, as opposed to only 1 in 10 boys and young men.

One possible explanation for this is women’s increased physiological vulnerability to HIV infection, but it is clear that boys and young men in Buffalo City are indulging in risky, possibly even reckless behaviour, which is at odds with the very real dangers they expose themselves to through their sexual behaviour.

On average, boys in Buffalo City start having sex at 14, and girls at 16. However, the average age for first sexual intercourse was slightly lower among younger respondents, an indication – also in line with national trends – that young people are starting to have sex at an earlier age.

While the youth appear relatively unconcerned about HIV and Aids, the opposite appears to be true with regard to teenage pregnancy, with 80% of female respondents and 57% of male respondents listing this as among their main concerns. However, this concern does not yet translate into risk-averse behaviour. While the majority of respondents said they were concerned about teenage pregnancy, only 69% of respondents said they had used condoms to prevent pregnancy the last time they had sexual intercourse.

After teenage pregnancy, the issue that most concerns the youth of Buffalo City is unemployment and lack of jobs. This is congruent with the situation in which the majority of youths fi nd themselves. The Youth at Risk study shows that four in fi ve Buffalo City residents between the ages of 21 and 28 are unemployed, with more than 68% saying they received no income whatsoever. This is higher than the rate of unemployment among the youth recorded in the 2001 Buffalo City Quality of Life Survey, an indication not only that unemployment is the greatest challenge facing the youth in the city, but also that job creation initiatives over the past fi ve years have not yet, on the whole, yielded signifi cant or measurable results for young people in the city.

Education levels is another area which should be of great concern to policymakers and local government leaders in the city. It is well-established that there is a positive correlation between education and employment, with those who have attained higher education levels much more likely to have better access to employment and development opportunities.

In Buffalo City , however, only 16 percent of youths between the ages of 21 and 28 have finished high school. When comparing education data from the 2006 Youth at Risk survey with youth-specific education data from the 2001 Buffalo City Quality of Life Survey, it is clear that, overall, young people's situation has worsened over the past five years. The number of dropouts, ie young people who have some secondary education but who have not finished high school, has increased. At the same time, the rate of matriculating has decreased, from 24.8% in 2001 to 15.1% in 2006.

If this trend continues, this could potentially impact negatively on the holistic development of young people in the city as, without formal education, these young people will find themselves in very limiting environments socially, economically, politically and otherwise.

About the study

The Buffalo City Youth at Risk Survey, which was conducted between June and December 2006, had two main objectives:

•  To evaluate the current situation of youth at risk within Buffalo city; and

•  To analyse the current resources that are available to address the challenges facing youth at risk.

FHISER adopted a phased approach in undertaking the study. The first phase focused on the organisations that address youth issues and entailed interacting with a total of 98 organisations. The second phase was a survey of young people themselves, where individual views of youth in relation to risk were sought. The third phase dealt with young men and women as groups to get a better understanding of the challenges and issues that put young people at risk. A total of 600 youth, including in and out of school youth and employed and unemployed youth across all races, participated in the survey. Fifteen groups of between eight and 15 young people participated in the focus groups.

In addition to the findings outlined above, the study also showed that there is a general disjuncture between organisations which render specific services to youth, and young people themselves. Both the survey and focus groups showed that, by and large, young people are out of touch with these organisations and are therefore losing out on the services that could help them improve their lives.

Recommendations

Buffalo City Municipality needs to re-look at ways of closing the gap that seems to exist between youth and the resources available to them. The study recommends active youth involvement in the programmes that address youth needs so that young people take ownership of these programmes and their benefits.

Furthermore, information dissemination and communication strategies need to be intensified. The reality is that young people are more concerned about their economic situation and the benefits they are likely to get if this could be improved, than anything else. Consequently, BCM's interventions and resources should be primarily focused on this reality.

It is also true that, despite this reality, the behaviour of young people cannot be simply ignored – particularly in the face of the devastating effects of HIV and Aids. This study has established that lack of information on this aspect is not the issue. Rather, the issue is how the youth use the available information. Therefore, at a secondary level, resources should be directed at ways of encouraging and entrenching behaviour change among young men and women.

This is where organisations have a major role to play. Already, there are organisations whose programmes address the issues of behaviour change. The city can strengthen partnerships with these organisations and together find more effective ways of improving these vital services. As earlier research has found, information and awareness on their own do not necessarily change behaviour unless integrated with overall youth development programmes.

Specific recommendations include:

•  Buffalo City Municipality 's development strategies should prioritise youth development.

•  The city should re-examine the information dissemination and communication strategies of its youth programmes with a view to improving them.

•  Youth participation in the city's development initiatives, programmes and structures should be improved.

•  Membership of youth, church, cultural and other organisations should be improved to enhance skills in networking, accessing information, communication, self-esteem and a range of other competencies.

•  Increased visibility is needed for national youth programmes such as Umsobomvu Youth Fund to address the youth's sense of alienation from these programmes.

To access the full report, click HERE.