Youth in South Africa

The burden of many of these inequalities falls on South African youth in terms of education, employment, poverty, and health outcomes.

[6] Previous government policies in South Africa have been unfavourable for twenty-first century youth, diminishing their ability to engage meaningfully in socio-economic and political activities of society.

[2] During apartheid, many youths were arrested and detained in jail, often without trial; many children were held in adult prisons.

Race and gender inequalities influence who continues to higher levels of education; black South Africans report that finances are the biggest factor in leaving school.

[2] Disabled youth tend to be underrepresented in the education system, which leads to high rates of unemployment.

[8] Poor quality primary and secondary schooling are key reasons for the low rates of black and coloured South Africans attending tertiary education.

[2] Approximately 17,000,000 young people under eighteen years of age in South Africa are estimated to be living in poverty.

[4] While young people generally comprise the healthiest section of society, youth face a variety of health risks in South Africa.

[11] Suicide is considered a major public health concern for youth in South Africa.

[12] No recent population-wide, comprehensive, reliable data is available on suicide attempts and deaths in South Africa.

[12] In 2003, South Africa recorded 25 deaths per 100,000 adolescents due to suicide; this is higher than the international average of 23 per 100,000.

In response, the South African government has created many community development and HIV/AIDS interventions to curb the epidemic and increase youth participation in such programs.