Imagine being two inches shorter. While this difference in height might not seem like much, it is now spanned across a whole generation of children. Only two inches can ultimately lead to the economic and social downfall of a nation, of a continent. What is this issue exactly? The stunted physical and mental development of children. The stunting of child development is a major issue across all children of Africa. In the most recent decade, the measure of stunted youth in Africa has expanded by 8 million, making the aggregate of kids developmentally stunted in Africa 58.8 million, as they represent 28% of the world's hindered youth (AfDB President). As Africa is the only continent in which their number of developmentally stunted children has increased in the past two decades (58.5 mln), this calls into question as to why this number has solely increased in Africa. To answer this, it can be said the responsibility lies towards the corrupt governments (Govendor). Thus, the corruption of governments, malnutrition, and abuse of girls had led to the stunted development of children across the continent.
Malnutrition, an already existing connotation towards Africa, is a very serious issue children across the continent face, which causes harm to their growth. Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the President of the African Development Bank, has stated his concern over the increasing evidence of malnutrition causing stunting in children throughout Africa. Dr. Adesina has stated, “They are prone to inhibited intellectual and physical growth, and sometimes even premature death. These are not just statistics. These are people. Our children” (AfDB President). Thus, Dr. Adesina describes the effects malnutrition has caused African children: poor intellectual and physical growth. However, as 58.5 million African malnourished children suffer from stunting, this creates an impact on the continent's economic potential (58.5 mln). Loss in adult height by 1% due to the stunting of child growth has led to a 1.4% decrease in economic activity (AfDB President). Dr. Adesina has also stated a solution to stunted, malnourished children is, “A re-engineered food system which generates new jobs across the whole food system" (58.5 mln). Although the issue of malnutrition persists, it isn’t the sole cause of stunted child development, another issue the government needs to solve and adds to child stunting is the abuse of girls and boys throughout Africa.
Furthermore, African children face forms of abuse on top of malnutrition, which causes stunting of their mental and physical development. In Niger, 76 percent of girls are married before their 18th birthday, which is the highest rate compared to the rest of the world. In the Central African Republic and Chad, 68% of girls are married off young (Child marriage), demonstrating the range of child marriage throughout the continent. In total, 12 million underage girls are married off each year, these girls lose any control or decision of their own, have their childhoods and education cut short, face potentially life-threatening pregnancies, and raise a family and maintain a household at a very young age (Child marriage). As a result, these young girls are forced into unhealthy situations, this leads to stunting in terms of increased risk for cervical cancer, malaria, obstetric fistulas, depression, and sexually transmitted infections (Nour). Facing early marriage also causes a young child’s offspring to face premature birth, infant death, and impaired growth (Nour), showing the consequences of this abuse causing stunting towards the young children and future generations. Therefore, as young children face abuse in the form of child marriage, what action must be done to end these issues, which ultimately hinders their growth mentally and physically?
What change is needed for these children? Reform from the government (Govender). Govender states, “We are dying. Our children are dying. The government has failed us all.” (Govender), demonstrating the people of Africa’s dissatisfaction with the little reforms governments have made to resolve child stunting. Although plans have been made to reform malnutrition and child marriage, more change and action must be met for the children of tomorrow in Africa, from Niger to Chad, government reform must be bad to save the future of tomorrow.
Works Cited
"AfDB President Worried Over Rising Cases Malnourished Children In Africa." Nigerian
Tribune [Oyo State, Nigeria], 9 Feb. 2020, p. NA. Gale In Context: Global Issues, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A613625237/GIC?u=los42754&sid=GIC&xid=e69760b9. Accessed 10 Mar. 2020.
"Child marriage a stunting development." Daily Star [Beirut, Lebanon], 17 Oct. 2019, p. NA.
Gale In Context: Global Issues, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A602865816/GIC?u=los42754&sid=GIC&xid=9c39d91c. Accessed 10 Mar. 2020.
"58.5 mln children in Africa suffering from stunting: AfDB President." Xinhua News Agency, 9
Feb. 2020, p. NA. Gale In Context: Global Issues, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A613419468/GIC?u=los42754&sid=GIC&xid=e47fc131. Accessed 11 Mar. 2020
Govender, Serusha. “South Africa: 'Our Children Are Dying, but President Ramaphosa Doesn't Care'.” BBC News, BBC, 23 Mar. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51875424.
"Nigerian Kidnapping Highlights Scale Of Child Trafficking In Africa." All Things Considered,
9 May 2014. Gale In Context: Global Issues, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A368233096/GIC?u=los42754&sid=GIC&xid=10885eae. Accessed 11 Mar. 2020.
Nour, Nawal M. “Child Marriage: a Silent Health and Human Rights Issue.” Reviews in
Obstetrics & Gynecology, MedReviews, LLC, 2009, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672998/.
I really liked your hook and conclusion. The hook really captured my attention and the conclusion was powerful. My main takeaway is that malnutrition and abuse are causing physical and developmental stunting in African children. To clarify, does the physical stunting of people relate to a loss in GDP because they are physically inpaired?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite aspect was your second body paragraph because it had great evidence and commentary. My main takeaway is that early marriage for women leading to abuse and malnutrition are the reasons for the stunted physical growth in Africa. Is the physical stunted growth of people causing the decrease in economic activity or is just a correlation?
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