Suchergebnisse

Youth represent a critical demographic in Timor-Leste in terms of the country's economic development and stability. The slow pace of development has meant that there are very few opportunities for youth to improve their socio-economic well-being and this has had serious economic and security ramifications for Southeast Asia's poorest state. Investing in the development of Timorese youth represents an important strategy for enabling them to contribute to nation building and reducing their propensity to engage in destructive behaviour which threatens to undermine the stability of the fragile state. This is pertinent given that young people aged 15 to 29 will represent almost 40% of the population by 2010. Youth in Timor-Leste face many development challenges which stem from the context within which they live. Since gaining official independence in 2002 following 24 years of brutal Indonesian occupation Timor-Leste has had to rebuild its political, social, judicial and security institutions and infrastructure, a huge task which has been undermined by widespread poverty, a small and undiversified private sector, the poor provision of social services, inadequate security and judicial institutions, political instability and periodic civil conflict. While population growth has ballooned, the economy has remained stagnant and this has led to rising income poverty since 2002. There are multiple challenges for young people in Timor-Leste that have arisen from this development context. Poor quality teaching, high drop-out rates, a deficiency of post-primary and vocational education opportunities and poor linkages between learning outcomes and labour market demands mean that most youth lack the skills needed for gainful employment. Youth unemployment is a major concern, particularly in Dili where 40% of young people do not have a job. The country's weak economy is unable to provide enough employment for the thousands of job seekers entering the labour market every year and most Timorese youth make a living from subsistence agriculture. Up to 70% of young men are involved in some sort of martial arts group and while some groups participate in community development initiatives, many are engaged in crime and gang violence which contributes to insecurity in Timor-Leste. Female youth face their own development challenges including widespread gender-based violence and the burden of high fertility rates with the average women giving birth to 7 or more children. The lack of education and employment opportunities for young people has led to growing feelings of frustration and disenfranchisement among Timorese youth which increases their propensity to engage in crime and violence. This was most evident in 2006 when thousands of bored and disaffected young men joined violent riots sparked by tension within the military. The 2006 crisis highlighted the serious security implications of development challenges for youth because young men were responsible for most of the violence and destruction which forced 150,000 people to flee their homes, caused the economy to contract and destabilised the entire country. Since the 2006 crisis there has been a growing realisation among the development community that the socio-economic predicament of Timorese youth has significant implications for the country's economic development and stability. This is of particular concern to the Australian Government which has invested over AU$4 billion in stabilisation operations and aid to Timor-Leste since 1999. Australian assistance to Timor-Leste stems from its national interest in having a stable and prosperous neighbour, and a humanitarian responsibility to protect Timorese people from violence and help the impoverished country develop. In order to promote economic development and stability in Timor-Leste and prevent the outbreak of future civil conflicts such as the 2006 crisis, Australia should increase its investment in development initiatives for Timorese youth. It is recommended that the Australian Government: 1. Assist the Government of Timor-Leste to implement its National Youth Policy. 2. Invest in education to increase young people's access to quality education and training. 3. Invest in rural development to assist the majority of youth who make a living from subsistence agriculture. 4. Conduct further research into the effectiveness of youth development as a strategy for conflict prevention and promoting stability.