Adolescent Girls Safety and Protection DR UNB RAO

Adolescent Girls: Safety and Protection DR. UNB RAO, PH. D(IIT D) INDIAN POLICE SERVICE (RETD. ) AND FOUNDER CHAIRMAN, URIVI VIKRAM CHARITABLE TRUST CRMN. UVCT@GMAIL. COM “Beti Bacho Beti Padhao” Panipat : 21 st 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. . Øwhy Population is a Burden? ØProblem of drop outs and push-outs. . 70 to 90% of total young adults? ØWhy female child is not welcome in a family? ØCan not we reduce number of drop outs and push outs?

Answers! ØUtility of Counseling and Career Guidance. Project Prerana ? ØHarnessing the enormous energies of dropouts and push-outs – Project Shakti? (adopted by UN IAWG in 2002 as basis for Life Skills for out -of-school adolescents) ØSkill 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 ?

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 13

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-reliant Amenable for discipline But 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 v Family Environment. . Assurance of parental support and confidence; not mere control, but enabling; v Being aware of the peers. . Families of peers to meet and mingle to know the peers better v

Imp. Schemes for Adolescent Girls Sabla. . A comprehensive program. . Saksham. . A complimentary program for Boys is equally important ARSH Adolescent Education ICPS. . Should be able to focus on Preventive aspects also. . Mission Convergence Model of Delhi and about 120 Gender Resource Centers All These Schemes call for better monitoring and Evaluation;