DR. UNB RAO, PH.D(IIT D)INDIAN POLICE SERVICE (RETD.)

AND

FOUNDER CHAIRMAN, URIVI VIKRAM CHARITABLE TRUST

CRMN.UVCT@GMAIL.COM

Adolescent Girls: Safety and Protection

“Beti Bacho Beti Padhao”Panipat : 21st January 2015

Demographic Dividend !

All problems in India are due to our multiplying population?

UVCT tried to find ways and means to transform our

“ Burden of Population” into

“ Asset of Human Resources”

Questions for Urivi Vikram Charitable Trust

Founded in 1991..why Population is a Burden? Problem of drop outs and push-outs ..70 to 90% of total young adults?

Why female child is not welcome in a family?

Can not we reduce number of drop outs and push outs?

Answers!

Utility of Counseling and Career Guidance- Project Prerana ?

Harnessing the enormous energies of drop-outs and push-outs – Project Shakti?(adopted by UN IAWG in 2002 as basis for Life Skills for out-of-school adolescents)

Skill building – Project Sahara..

A policy frame work for Young Adults/Adolescents ?

A 3-day National Consultation in July,1999

• Towards a Policy for Young Adults .. Emphasising on the need to accord distinct status to ‘adolescents’

• Along with 14 organisations incl. Bharat Scouts and Guides, NCC, NYKS, NSS, TISS, NIMHAS, NIPPCD, Delhi Police, HAQ, and the like;

• About 300 young adults from different parts of India; Reps. from relevant ministries and Planning Commission of India; 35 experts; and UN Agencies participated;

• Sh TN Seshan , Dr Karan Singh and Sh Bhaskar Barua took the lead;

• Supported by Min. of Youth Affairs and Sports

Adolescent Girls ?

Stage of Adolescence is a recent phenomena in India.. Planning Commission’s First Report on Adolescents, June 2001 !

Earlier , a girl hardly remained an adolescent .. Early marriages led them from Childhood to Adulthood..

Today, adolescent girls are experiencing the implications of adolescence

Necessity to understand characteristics of adolescence and orientation to the functionaries dealing with them ?

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ADOLESCENCE

Period of Rapid Development

• Physical Growth : 4 feet to 5 feet+• Identity Crisis!• Why wait attitude!• Tensions of Schooling & early

college ... Coaching Centers?• Speed in thought and action• Exploring and experimenting

No longer a child, Not yet an adult

Full of paradox

• Abstract thinking• Strive for individuality and autonomy

• Curious and questioning mind

• Seek independence • Easily influenced

WHO’S 53 - COUNTRY STUDY, 2002

Health Risks for Adolescents

i. Early sexual initiation :unprotected – STDs-HIV

ii. Substance abuse: alcohol, tobacco, psychoactive drugs

iii. Depression: loss of productivity.. Suicides!

Protective Factors

i. Family Environment

ii. School / Institution Environment

iii. Spirituality

High Risk Factor : Peer Pressure and bad friends

Adolescent Girls

Mature faster than boys..Wishes to be secure and self-reliantAmenable for disciplineBut worry too much about looks and self image..

More secretive about their emotions..Consider Boys are better friends than girls

SEXUAL ACTIVITY AND EXPERIMENTATION

Due to lot of media, the youth of today are over-exposed to sex(unfaithful couples, explicit messages, safe sex, etc).

Curiosity + impulsiveness = sexual experimentation(effects of Social Media?)

The rapid hormonal changes + Attraction to the opposite sex = Risk taking behaviors (unprotected sex, sexual violence)

Sex education ? Parents, teachers, school, counselors should be available for information…

Safety and Protection

External Factors contribute to 10 to 15 % of the problem .. Law enforcement ought to be meticulous.. All missing reports should be taken to logical ends(only 8 % are rescued); Zero tolerance is called for..

Internal Factors .. Known persons are the culprits Not only in India but also abroad Family Environment .. Assurance of parental support

and confidence; not mere control, but enabling; Being aware of the peers .. Families of peers to meet

and mingle to know the peers better

Imp. Schemes for Adolescent Girls

Sabla .. A comprehensive program..Saksham .. A complimentary program for Boys is

equally importantARSHAdolescent EducationICPS .. Should be able to focus on Preventive aspects

also..

Mission Convergence Model of Delhi and about 120 Gender Resource CentersAll These Schemes call for better

monitoring and Evaluation;