E-Paper
Urban adolescent slum-dwellers: Girls worse off than boys after Covid-19, says WINGS 2022 report
The report – The World of India’s Girls - WINGS 2022 – themed, Spotlight on Adolescent Girls amid Covid-19, was launched on Thursday
A majority of adolescent girls in urban slums were deprived of basic health and education services compared to boys, over the course of pandemic, the Save the Children WINGS (The World of India’s Girls) 2022, report highlights.
Save the Children, India (also known as Bal Raksha Bharat), has highlighted the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on girls, with a focus on populations in urban slums through a research-led study.
The report – The World of India’s Girls - WINGS 2022 – themed, Spotlight on Adolescent Girls amid Covid-19, was launched on Thursday. The report reveals the situation of girls during and after the first pandemic, which induced nation-wide lockdowns in India, which has only worsened with the multiple mutations and successive waves of the Covid-19 virus since then.
According to the report, 68% of adolescent girls faced challenges in accessing health and nutrition services. Some 67% did not attend online classes during lockdowns. It also points out that 56% did not get time to indulge in outdoor play and recreation during the lockdown.
More than half the mothers surveyed, perceived that the chances of girls rather than boys getting married early are higher due to Covid-19, according to the report.
The study highlights the repercussions on girls’ access to health, education, and opportunities for play and recreation with a focus on the changes that have taken place in the overall context of their insecurities.
It also includes understanding the coping mechanisms adopted by families to deal with the increased health and nutritional insecurities, the abrupt decline in learning opportunities, the pressure on early marriages, and limited play and recreation facilities.
Speaking on the report, Sudarshan Suchi, CEO, Save the Children, said, “India cannot achieve its full potential unless we secure 100% of its children today. The WINGS 2022 Report is our way of bringing to the fore the risks our nation runs into by not investing in and securing all its children. Specifically, the fact that India @75 has almost half its children not able to equitably secure themselves with their basic rights is a tale by itself! With this report, we would like to reaffirm our commitment to being a part of the solution. Along with the various specific steps the report provides a way forward for all of us and more importantly, the obligation to include the voices of children – the primary stakeholders – to shift the approach from a process of planning for them to planning with them. Children cannot wait – not any longer!”
