Abibiman Foundation and Just Care Foundation press statement on occasion of International Youth Day
2014 International Youth Day
Theme: �Youth and Mental Health�, under the motto, �Mental Health Matters�.
DATE: 12th August 2014
This year�s celebration is taking place at a very difficult moment for the youth in Africa. Many parts of the continent are engulfed in one crisis or the other. terrorist groups like Boko Haram operating in Nigeria and beyond killing, maiming and kidnapping innocent people particularly the young ones � The youth are among the main victims and actors at of all these crises.
There are over 1.2 billion youth aged 15-24 in the world today and over 280 million of them experience a mental health condition. One-fifth of the world�s young people are suffering from some kind of mental illness, and 85-90% of these sufferers live in developing nations.
Unfortunately, in many regions, mental illness carries a stigma, making people reluctant to seek help out of fear or shame. To raise awareness on the importance of reducing stigma surrounding youth with mental health conditions.
However, youth unemployment threatens mental health, more than 70 million young people, aged between 15 and 24, are currently unemployed, according to the International Labour Organisation. Another 200 million youth are working for less than $US2 a day.
Today, the African youth face huge challenges to which they contribute very little; they have been forced to live their lives as adults because of lack of access to basic social services and that make them vulnerable to other health risks. Mental health had become more of a social problem.
The plight of Ghana youth keep worsened day by day because of the breakdown of the external family system and now the adverse effects of IMF and all the trade injustices will compelled most parents and guardians to lose their jobs and livelihoods.
We shall continue to Engagement Stakeholder, for every opportunity we get to let them focus on the youth issues to put in place appropriate policy and laws that will protection, promote the well-being of young people in Ghana.
Just Care Foundation, IDAY-Ghana and Abibiman Foundation salute all Youth in Ghana and Mental health works
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