Courtesy of the Independence and AllAfrica.com I am just curious, where did the female folk go? Does mean they are really employed or just not counted? Someone help me here. Malanding Jaiteh As Unemployment Reaches Crisis Stage Email <http://allafrica.com/sendpage.html?ref=http://allafrica.com/stories/200501101209.html> This Page Print <http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200501101209.html> This Page Visit <http://www.qanet.gm/Independent/independent.html> The Publisher's Site The Independent <http://allafrica.com/publishers.html?passed_name=The%20Independent&passed_location=Banjul> (Banjul) January 10, 2005 Posted to the web January 10, 2005 Lamin Njie Banjul A Tale Of Over 35,000 Unemployed Gambians Around the world people are prone to the acute problems of unemployment, which has both economic and social effects on all economies, and The Gambia without exception continues to face the blight challenges of the problem, with over 35,000 roving Gambian youths still searching for jobs to better their deteriorating standard of living. <http://allafrica.com/clicktrack/stories/subscribe_inset/rn75680056/0x00/http://allafrica.com/support.html> In a report acknowledged by the National Youth Policy document 1999-2008, it indicates that though it is difficult to find an exact data on the level of employment among the Gambian youths, it can be discerned that due to the youthful nature of the population, it is estimated that over 35,582 Gambian youths are unemployed comprising: 32,700 males and 2882 females of the active population. The document catalogues that the level of youth unemployment is increasing at an alarming rate in The Gambia, as many young people after completion of school, enter into the labour market with little or no hope of finding formal sector employment and in most cases, without the skills and necessary resources to be self-employed. On the menace of drug abuse, which is snuffing out hundreds of lives, particularly among the unemployed youths, the report indicates that the chronicle is increasing at an unprecedented rate. According to the policy, a survey conducted by the Department of Social Welfare in 1996 shows that a relative number of the children used both alcohol and harmful drugs. Although there are no figures on the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, among the youths, it is believed that the incidence of the HIV/AIDS in The Gambia is equally growing. On the level of illiteracy, it is estimated that more than 50 percent of the population is unable to read and write, indicating that 42 percent of the urban male population and 68 percent of the urban female population is illiterate, while the level of illiteracy is higher in the rural areas where 48 percent of the male population and 76 percent of the female population is illiterate. This situation, according to the report, has arisen mainly due to the inability of the majority of parents to pay fees for their children's education, compelling most children to participate in household livelihood activities. Relevant Links West Africa <http://allafrica.com/westafrica/> Labour <http://allafrica.com/labour/> Gambia <http://allafrica.com/gambia/> Children and Youth <http://allafrica.com/children/> Available enrolment data shows that the enrolment rate for females is 42 percent for lower basic schools, 37 percent for middle schools, and 29 percent for senior secondary schools. It further revealed that approximately 432 males and 548 females, aged between 0 and 24 are affected by various forms of disability, including blindness, deafness, weakness, deformity, missing limbs, loss of sensation and chromic pain, while early pregnancies among girls constitute a major factor contributing to the high mortality rate. いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい