LEGAL

THE ACCESS AXIS

The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated a myriad of the challenges that South African’s face and more so the youth, due to historical and current psychosocial and socio-economic factors affecting majority of families in South Africa, in which these inequalities have a domino effect as each factor leads to the other. As the country applied restrictive measures to curb the spread of the virus, there were closures of schools, disruptions of income generating activities and essential services. To deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, young South Africans need to be a visible part of the solution, and to actively contribute towards efforts to reduce the spread of the virus and mitigate its impact. We need to develop and promote awareness of national youth policies that promote access to services. The increase in youth population and more so in the rise of the youth’s voice needs us to look at proactive approaches in helping the youth to fully reach their potential and that goes hand in hand with accessibility.

There is a growing need to

develop legislation that is inclusive and protective of youth rights. To ensure there are adequate mechanisms of recourses which are accessible to youth, yet access does not equal accessibility. In providing the tools for taking part in a democratic society, doesn’t guarantee participation neither does it resolve the divide. People may be connected, but still be excluded politically, economically and socially if they don’t attain the ability and skills to use.

To foster such inclusion, comprehensive approaches must be taken to ensure that not only equitable access, but universal accessibility is afforded to all. It is worth noting that the major contributor to poverty, inequality and unemployment amongst the youth in South Africa is the low levels of educational attainment and skills.

The improving of the health and well-being of adolescents and youth is crucial for their wellbeing today, and for their future economic productivity because behaviour and health developed during these stages of life are key predictors of the adult burden of disease, and because health – like education – is a key factor in the intergenerational transmission of poverty.

Poverty, in all its dimensions, undermines health and wellbeing through a variety of pathways. Poor nutrition, for example, impacts negatively on a young person’s capacity to learn, progress through school and earning potential. The early childhood development and education, basic education, post-school education and training sector should improve equity in access and quality of education and training outcomes as well as collaborate with social development and justice sectors in providing effective second chance programmes for at risk youth.

To ensure that South Africa realises the goals for the population, young people need to be supported with information, skills and services that help.

Access to adolescent and youth-friendly health services and information related to sexual and reproductive health and rights needs to be availed and expanded through mobile clinics, in public and private health facilities, as well as in schools, and other venues. Healthy young people are likely to be productive and contribute to economic growth of the country.

Further, education is a vital tool for empowering individuals. If the Covid-19 pandemic has shown us anything, it’s the power of technology to connect, educate and empower. However, in South Africa, your access to digital resources still depends on which cell phone service provider you’re linked to and how much data you can afford.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) demands that the youth be equipped with technological and digital skills. The skills pipeline is riddled with obstacles that undermine equitable access to opportunities in the labour market. Thus, inclusion requires intentional strategies and investments to reduce and eliminate historical, institutional and structural barriers to access. Only through such approaches will the elimination of the lack of accessibility and the conditions set where we all have the capacity to fully participate in society, democracy and the economy.

Physical barriers, once evident are now blurred and new structures of relationships and modes of interaction have been put in place. More often than not is the younger generation who are more comfortable using new information, communication systems and technology to either expand their knowledge or for accessibility. This allows the youth the flexibility to take charge.

Barriers must be broken down to enable youth to utilise and gain real access to services. Be it in education, for connectivity, skills development, through mobile health clinics to leverage health promotion and disease prevention, funding, government organisations and other valuable aspects of the socioeconomic ecosystem. Access facilitates learning, which leads to an inclusive society, reduced inequalities and sustained growth and development. We should all be actively playing our part and lobbying government and private sector to play theirs.