Introduction
Despite all efforts and guarantees of rights, the survival, the development, justice, and protection of children remain problematic. This is manifested in inadequate access to basic resources like food and water and services like health and education. The above factors are complicated by structural problems that perpetuate the unequal distribution of resources, the discrimination, and the exclusion of children.
Malawi’s population is estimated at 18.2 million in 2017, four times higher than in 1966, and will reach 30 million by 2030. The population is overwhelmingly youthful, with 48 per cent below the age of 15.3. While the population of Malawi is currently and expected to remain mostly rural, the country has one of the highest rates of urban growth in Africa (3.8 per cent). High population growth places significant strain on the capacity of the Government to provide essential services.
Women in Malawi fare worse than men on most social and economic indicators, including wage equality, political participation, exposure to violence, secondary and tertiary education enrolment, literacy and ownership of land and assets. Female-headed households are more likely to be poor and are disproportionately represented in the lowest quartile of the income distribution. Multi-dimensional child poverty estimates show that 63 per cent of children are deprived in two or more domains.
