Pretty alarming survey results from UNICEF.
NEW DELHI: Modern India continues to be plagued by social and health
ills like child marriage, early motherhood and domestic violence.



Latest data in the "State of the World's Children report 2012" released by Unicef
on Wednesday shows that almost 22% women in India, who are now aged
between 20 and 24 years gave birth to a child before they turned 18.

Almost 45 among every 1,000 births are born to mothers in the 15-19 age
bracket. Shockingly, around 57% of male adolescents (aged 15-19) and
53% of female adolescents thought a husband was justified in beating up
their wives under certain circumstances.

Only 35% adolescent
males (aged 15-19) and 19% adolescent females have a comprehensive
knowledge of HIV. Almost 33% of children under five years in urban India
and 46% in rural India are underweight.

Around two in four
people in urban India and one in five in rural settings use improved
sanitation facilities. India (46) also figures among the 50 worst
nations with highest under-five mortality rate.

Almost one in three newborns is born with low birth weight, with less than 50% children being breastfed by their mothers.

Around 43% of children under five years are underweight, with 16% being
severely undernourished and 48% children stunted. Only half the
households are consuming iodized salt.

Contrary to popular
belief, Karin Hulshof, UNICEF representative to India, said the report
shows how a child growing up in an urban poor environment has similar
challenges as a child in rural areas like health, nutrition, access to
water and sanitation, education and protection.

"A child born
in a slum in urban India is as likely to die before her or his first
birthday, to become underweight or anaemic or to be married off before
her 18th, as a child in rural India. Unfortunately for the urban poor
child, the situation is most of the time not as visible and gets diluted
by a much rosier picture of urban life. Great inequities are found
within towns and cities, where great opportunity and great deprivation
exist side by side," Hulshof said.

According to Unicef, more
than 40% of the world's child marriages still occur in India. Worldwide,
more than 60 million women between 20 and 24 years were married before
they turned 18.

"Child brides become mothers much before their bodies are physically mature," Unicef said.

The issue was also taken up recently by the World Health Organization's
executive board meeting in Geneva. According to WHO, half the girls in
early marriage live in south-east Asia. According to the National Family
Health Survey, about 10 million girls are married each year before the
age of 18 worldwide - one third of them live in India. Child marriage is
prohibited by law in India, with the minimum age of marriage being 18
for girls and 21 for boys. However the latest available government
survey found 48% of women (aged 20-24) were married or are in union
before the age of 18, and almost one in five was married or in union
before she turned 15.

India introduced laws against child
marriage in 1929 and set the legal age for marriage at 12 years. It was
increased to 18 years in 1978.

Unfortunately, the perceptions about all the economic changes (some real) and tech advances and other advances in Modern India..seem to cloud the pic/gross disparities which still exist in India. We certainly have a long way to go..and all of us can do our best/ little part we can.

*On another serious issue..how come you seldom respond to my answers to you. That penn Impedimenta also does the same..she jumps in- asks a question and then disappears..while I sincerely take the time to try to respond!

I was tempted to create a poll myself..something like "posters one would like to chellamai pinch, kathu thirugi..make them do some thopukaranams etc" but, give up. I guess, will be just silent, like you all:pale:.

Unlike the old CH format, this site still needs a lot of effort to keep track of the responses.

I will try and respond to yours alone from here on in. Impy has been blacklisted for calling me Anna.

I agree! Akka is fine, I somehow take it..but, Anna? That's plain bad:)!

Seriously, thanks..and do understand, if you can't keep track.

We'll interact when it's possible.

Very sad indeed

.its the disparity between the rich and the poor that is bother some

and the over population .

India needs a dictator to set her right .. some laws need to be re enforced and followed

Hello Chameli!

Nice to see you around..like the quote..Sara (MA) posted another good quote from Sai Baba yesterday.. "Love All, Serve All"..(I flunked the quiz, since I did not know who said it)..

Hello Maria,

Many thanks ..

I did not see MA's quote from Sai Baba .. but anything the Baba utters end up as words of wisdom and knowledge

Hope you are settling down here OK

Chameli,

Don't want to settle down anywhere..but, do feel comfortable interacting with the few folks here, who have always been genuinely friendly and kind, and nice to interact with someone new like you as well!


Thanks for asking !