poverty.8 ii.
THE CURSE OF EXCLUSION AND VULNERABILITY
It is not surprising to see that the number of youth struggling during their transition years is increasing by the day. They are at a crossroads each day where they have to chose between their stable development or succumb to the vulnerability that leads them to exclusion. There is an urgent need to understand the concepts of exclusion and vulnerability in order to find more focused solutions to the development of the youth. The study by Lyndsay McLean and Erika Fraser (2009), “Youth Exclusion, Violence, Conflict and Fragile States” defines exclusion as follows9: “Exclusion describes a process by which certain groups are systematically disadvantaged because they are discriminated against on the basis of their ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, caste, descent, gender, age, disability, HIV status, migrant status or where they live. Exclusion can take place in a number of arenas, from public institutions, such as the legal system or education and health services, as well as social institutions like the household. Exclusion is multidimensional and includes different types of disadvantage which interrelate and compound each other, for example unemployment, lack of voice and loss of status/respect.” While exclusion of youth not only puts the youth at risk of social and economic deviation, it also adds to the threat of them being affected with serious diseases and health hazards. The concept of vulnerability is particularly well explained in the Report on the World Social Situation 2010: “The concept of vulnerability captures the likelihood that people will fall into poverty owing to shocks to the economic system or personal mishaps. Vulnerability is thus a reflection of economic insecurity. Although poor people are usually among the most vulnerable, not all vulnerable people are poor, a distinction which facilitates differentiation among lowerincome populations.” Even those people who are not at present faced with the ills of poverty are vulnerable to being pushed deeper into the segment of poor vulnerable youth as time passes and they feel helpless due to lack of care, protection and guidance. It is the effort of society as a whole that can bring such youth back on track and make it possible for them to find a better way in society. The globalization phenomenon has had ambiguous impacts on youth poverty and exclusion. Major improvements in access to education have allowed many Asian youth to both benefit from and contribute to the development of their countries. Asian culture, values and ways of life have changed considerably as a result of increased economic openness and exposure to foreign goods, services and information. The new perspectives and modes of behavior adopted by the region’s young people sometimes place them at risk but have also allowed them to become a strong, positive force in the development of their societies. Younger UNITED NATIONS (2009), Report on the World Social Situation 2010: Rethinking Poverty, pp. 8-9 6 and p 45-46 9 MCLEAR HILKER, L. and FRASER, E. (2009), Youth exclusion, violence, conflict and fragile states, Report prepared for DFID‟s Equity and Rights Team, Social Development Direct, p 9 8
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