Health and Wellbeing - ENYC

In Eswatini reports from the National Psychiatric Hospital recorded that 125 people between the ages of 13 and 25 committed suicide in 2017, with most cases stemming from depression as a result of unemployment. Considering all the unreported cases, this figure could be higher.

Data from the Eswatini Health Management Information System (HMIS) recorded that between 2015 and 2019, 40% of mental illness patients in public clinics and healthcare centers were young people between the ages of 15 to 35 years. In addition, Nxumalo-Ngubane (2016) found that in Eswatini, mental illness is most common among people between the ages of 25 to 45 years old. In addition to Mental Health, Eswatini still faces challenges with Sexual Health amongst youth. Particularly for youth within the younger age category of 15- 24, there are specific vulnerabilities, largely related to age: physiological vulnerability, high susceptibility to peer pressure, tendencies toward risk-taking behavior, lower ability to negotiate safer sex practices, and difficulty accessing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information and services. According to UNAIDS, among individuals aged 15 and older, 25.9 % are living with HIV, and 21.3% of these individuals are males, while 30.3% are females. The SRHR challenges of Eswatini’s youth are further exacerbated by a variety of the contextual factors.

There is a low level of progression from primary to secondary school, high unemployment rates among young people, and high levels of poverty. A lack of education puts the power of young people to make protective and informed decisions for themselves, and the economic vulnerabilities associated with poverty and unemployment put young people at risk of engaging in behaviors that make them susceptible to the acquisition of HIV and other STI’s. Additionally, high levels of sexual abuse and gender-based violence affect young people especially.