With the countdown to the enumeration phase of Census 2011 days away, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) held an event focusing on the conducting of the national census and its relation to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The United Nations Population Fund, known by the acronym UNFPA, was a partner in the event. Invited guests included ambassadors, the SAPS, media and agencies representing farmers.
The census and the MDGs
The MDGs refer to an eight-point road map with measurable targets for improving the lives of the world’s poor. The intention is to reduce extreme poverty by 2015. The United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 saw 189 world leaders adopt the Millennium Declaration, agreeing to meet the MDGs. “The MDGs are an advocacy tool,” says Pali Lehohla, Statistician-General of Stats SA. “They build awareness of development challenges and encourage government to put in place and monitor ‘MDG-friendly’ policies. They also support building alliances within government, between government and the private sector, and between government and civil society.”
Individual participation is also necessary, particularly with regards to the census, as data collected is used to design policy and programmes for the achievement of national development goals and the MDGs. Lehohla explained the direct link between the structure of the census questionnaire and the MDG’s targets: “For example, information on age, sex, school attendance and level of education feed into the target that all children must have completed a full course of primary schooling by 2015. This is part of MDG two — achieve universal primary education.” The national census also ties into understanding South Africa.
“The vision for Stats SA is ‘the South Africa I know, the home I understand’. Stats SA generates information that others can use to make effective choices because the decisions are evidence based,” says Lehohla. The census is constructed after consultation with stakeholders, in particular government, where information needs are met through the various questions. This allows for data to be fed into future development programmes.
Facing challenges
Numerous impediments exist when conducting a national census as was evident during the previous two censuses. The first full coverage democratic census was in 1996 and the second in 2001. Although it is a United Nations agreement that countries conduct a national census every five years, the 2006 national census was postponed due to a high undercount where a statistically significant amount of people are missed. As an alternative, a large-scale community survey was conducted in 2006. Specific groups have been identified as hard to count due to limited access. These include high-walled and gated communities, farming communities, rural areas and immigrants.
“A recurring problem with high-walled communities has been gaining access at the point of entry. Something as simple as a buzzer not working means enumerators have no way of making contact,” says Lehohla. Stats SA has put in place a school ambassador programme, where teachers ask children whether their households have been counted, as a method of mitigating this risk. Communities’ political concerns have also been an issue with groups refusing to participate in the census as they view this as a lever to motivate government into action. Lehohla says that Stats SA is a non-partisan organisation and that this type of refusal prevents communities providing the very data that is needed to have a discussion around concerns. Non-participation is also due to concerns regarding confidentiality of information. While there are South African citizens that raise this issue, illegal immigrants form a significant group that view providing information as problematic to their safety.
Lehohla says that the Statistics Act is very clear about maintaining confidentiality. No individual, organisation or governmental body is allowed access to individual information. He says that the Act overrides all other legislation in this regard and anyone in contravention pays a R10 000 fine or goes to jail for six months or both. “Whether someone is illegal or legal is not the point,” says Lehohla. “The Statistics Act protects the information and, besides, the census questions don’t even address the status of legal residency in South Africa.”
Safety and security is a further concern for the public, with the primary issue concerning enumerator entry into homes. Stats SA has taken specific measures to address this. All enumerators have gone through security checks. They will be wearing Census 2011-branded clothing and will carry ID tags with tamper-proof hologram photos. Posters with a photo and contact details of a specific enumerator will be put up in the enumerator’s designated area. A Census 2011 call centre has been set up where the public can call to verify enumerator details. The toll-free number is 0800 110 248. “The posters serve a dual purpose,” says Lehohla. “Firstly, communities will be able to identify their specific enumerator. By making the enumerator prominent and visible, it also means that people will be monitoring the enumerators.” Missing out on counting infants has been an ongoing problem. Not only are babies ‘forgotten’ when asked for a household count, but there are cultural practices that come into play.
Lehohla says that a number of cultures isolate babies for the first few weeks as a means of protecting them, making it difficult for enumerators. However, part of census worker training has focused on this previously under-counted group. A clear message is that the success of Census 2011 lies in the hands of the public, from ensuring access to participation. “When a child is born, it is the start of a journey. Six years after that she will go to school. Anywhere from 18 years onwards, she will go to work. She may fall pregnant and have children and may become ill. That child will also come to the end of her life,” says Lehohla. “The census is an instrument that assists in planning for the child’s life.”
The UNFPA
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is an international development agency that promotes the right of all people to have a life of health and equal opportunity. It is the official partner of Stats SA in the area of population and social statistics in general and collaborated in the event. The UNFPA works in partner- ship with governments, other agencies and civil society and is guided by the MDGs and the programme of action adopted at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. Its three core areas of work are reproductive health, gen- der equality and population, and development strategies. “These are inextricably linked,” says Edwin Huizing, UNFPA Director of the Sub-regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa. “Population dynamics, including growth rates, age structure, fertility and mortality, and migration, influence every aspect of human, social and economic development. Reproductive health and women’s empowerment powerfully affect, and are affected by, population trends.”
The UNFPA is in its third country programme in South Africa, with the main focus areas being: gender, population and development, reproductive health and HIV prevention. Their work entails generating data and evidence to inform policies and programmes, providing technical assistance, strengthening capacity, assisting with community and non-govern- mental organisation engagement, and training, among other things. “In terms of the census, we sup- port countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect,” says Huizing.
The 11 July commemorated World Population Day and the 31 October 2011, the final day of South Africa’s Census 2011 enumeration phase, is also the day that global population is estimated to reach seven billion. “A world of seven billion has implications on sustainability, urbanisation, access to health services and youth empowerment,” says Huizing. “However, it also provides a call-to-action to renew global commitment for a healthy and sustainable world.”
Huizing says that ‘7 Billion Actions’, the campaign around this day, is a platform for individuals, businesses, governments, NGOs, media and academia to contribute to a better world for all people (www.7billionactions.org). The focus is on shared responsibility, commitment, perspective and understanding. “The current status quo is not sustainable. We must move away from ever-widening income and consumption disparities towards meeting basic needs, reducing inequities, and shifting to cleaner energy and technology,” says Huizing. “The outcome of South Africa’s national census will define the country’s exact contribution to the 7 billion world population.”
The seven key messages of the campaign are:
- Reducing poverty and inequality also slows population growth.
- Unleashing the power of women and girls will accelerate progress
- Young people are changing our world and future
- Ensuring that every child is wanted and every childbirth is safe leads to smaller and stronger families.
- All seven billion people, and those who follow, depend on the health of the planet.
- Lower fertility and longer lives add up to ageing populations.
- The next two billion people will live in cities, so planning needs to occur now.
This article originally appeared in the Mail & Guardian newspaper as an advertorial supplement