Childhood marriage and teenage pregnancy on decline in India: Report - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Childhood marriage and teenage pregnancy on decline in India: Report.

• India has strived to bring down the number of married girls in the age group of 15-19 years by 51% in the last 19 years
• The report also highlights that even today child marriage prevalence is higher in rural areas
In welcome news, India has been gradually improving its performance in preventing child marriage and related health indicators, the Global Childhood Report 2019 released by UK-based NGO Save the Children on Wednesday revealed.
According to the report, India has strived to bring down the number of married girls in the age group of 15-19 years by 51% in the last 19 years. The report said the country's average performance across a set of indicators related to child health has also improved.

The country’s score on Childhood Index is up 137 points at 769 from 632, with teenage births having declined 63% since 2000, and 75% since 1990. The index score reflects the average level of performance across a set of eight indicators related to child health, education, labour, marriage, childbirth and violence.
"This reduction has resulted in over 2 million fewer teen births in India now compared to 2000 (3.5 million v/s 1.4 million), meaning progress in India alone accounts for nearly three-quarters of the global reduction in adolescent births during this period," the report said. "Had rates remained unchanged, there would be 9 million more married girls in India today."
The report, however, highlighted that even today child marriage prevalence is higher in rural areas when compared with urban areas, with figures at 14.1% and 6.9% for rural and urban areas, respectively, for the 15-19 years age group.
"Much remains to be done to reach the most deprived children who tend to be the furthest behind and are always the hardest to reach. Development policies and programmes formulated for children must ensure that there is special focus on children belonging to the vulnerable social groups, households in poverty, and children staying in states performing low on development indicators," the report said.
A comparison of End of Childhood Index scores, that evaluates 176 countries on children's access to health care, education, nutrition and protection from 'childhood enders' like child labour and child marriage, found the overall situation for children has improved in 173 countries since 2000. (Source: Livemint)


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Childhood marriage and teenage pregnancy on decline in India: Report.

India’s ranking goes up in childhood index - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

India’s ranking goes up in childhood index.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Ranked at 116 last year, the improvement in India’s overall score by 14 points from 754 to 768 on a scale of 1000
• The study however, puts India in the category of countries characterised by poverty and discrimination against girls.
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• On the child marriage issue the Index shows that adolescents currently married or in union (girls aged 15-19) was 15.2%
India finds space at 113 in Save the Children’s "End of Childhood Index 2018” which ranked 175 countries this year against indicators to determine the quality of childhood children have access to. Ranked at 116 last year, the improvement in India’s overall score by 14 points from 754 to 768 on a scale of 1000, is being attributed to reduced rate of child marriage. The study however, puts India in the category of countries characterised by poverty and discrimination against girls.

However, the Index which is part of the report titled “The Many Faces of Exclusion” shows that under five mortality rate (deaths per 1000 live births) was 43 which is a cause of concern. Also child stunting (children aged 0-59 months) was 38.4% and rated as high.
On the child marriage issue the Index shows that adolescents currently married or in union (girls aged 15-19) was 15.2%. This was 21.1% in the 2017 index where India figured as 116 out of 172 countries ranked. It is significant to point that the child marriage data assessed does not include data on consensual unions.
The Index this year ranked 175 countries with regards to where childhood is threatened as a result of poor health, malnutrition, exclusion from education, child labour, child marriage, early pregnancy and extreme violence.
In terms of the global scenario the report states that more than half of all children globally – over 1.2 billion – are threatened by conflict, widespread poverty or discrimination against girls.
“More than one billion children live in countries plagued by poverty; 240 million in countries affected by conflict and fragility; and more than 575 million girls live in countries where gender bias is a serious issue. Almost 153 million children are living in 20 countries affected by all three threats — including South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Afghanistan,” it is stated in the report.
It is reported that malnutrition, disease and inadequate healthcare kill over 20 times as many children in war zones as conflict-related violence. The incidence of child labour in countries affected by armed conflict is 77 per cent higher than the global average. Conflict also makes girls more vulnerable to child marriage.
It report notes that despite their economic, military, and technological might, the United States (36th), Russia (37th) and China (40th) trail all western European countries in the index. Singapore and Slovenia are placed at the top sharing the first place in the index and Niger figures at the end of the list at 175. (Source: The Times of India)


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India’s ranking goes up in childhood index.