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Every year, nearly 6,500 <keyword id="20068743" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="adolescent-girls" source="keywords">adolescent girls</keyword> in <keyword id="19897710" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="South-Asia" source="keywords">South Asia</keyword> die giving birth. Most of them are minors <keyword id="19895006" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="WHO" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="WHO" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="WHO">who</keyword> have limited power over their reproductive health or lives, according to a joint analysis done by <keyword id="20018080" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="UNICEF" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="UNICEF" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="UNICEF">UNICEF</keyword>, WHO and <keyword id="20802066" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="UNFPA" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="UNFPA" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="UNFPA">UNFPA</keyword>. South Asia accounts for 290 million <keyword id="22387193" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="child-brides" source="keywords">child brides</keyword> - nearly half of the world's burden. In three countries in South Asia, they are also four times more likely to be out of school than their unmarried peers, as per the analysis done by United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), <keyword id="19902256" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="world-health-organisation" source="keywords">World Health Organisation</keyword> (WHO) and United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA). At the two-day regional dialogue on adolescent pregnancy in South Asia, which concluded on Friday, the <keyword id="20679678" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SAARC" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="SAARC" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="SAARC">SAARC</keyword> countries, UNICEF South Asia, UNFPA and WHO called for increased commitment to critical services for over 2.2 million adolescent girls that give birth yearly in South Asia, a joint press release issued by the agencies said. "I appreciate the role of governments, UN agencies, NGOs and civil society for the improvements made by the SAARC region over the years in reducing <keyword id="22387194" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="teenage-pregnancy" source="keywords">teenage pregnancy</keyword>," said Ambassador Golam Sarwar, the Secretary General of SAARC. "But the region still has a long way to go. I call upon everyone to resolutely address the root causes including child marriage, access to adolescent health education, and removing social stigma in managing the teenage population of the SAARC region," he said. Every year, nearly 6,500 adolescent girls die in childbirth in South Asia, according to the analysis by UNICEF, WHO and UNFPA. Most of them are child brides who have limited or negligible power and autonomy over their reproductive health or lives. When young girls give birth, their lives can be at risk as they are not yet physically ready to give birth. Thousands more girls are forced to drop out of school, face stigma, rejection, violence, unemployment as well as lifelong social challenges. Forty-nine per cent of young girls in South Asia are not in education, employment or training - the highest in the world, the press release said. "We must do better for adolescent girls, particularly those who are married, pregnant or parents. In addition to hurdles to learn, get good healthcare and eat nutritious food, they are denied the opportunity to build skills and start businesses -- everything they need as parents to thrive and fulfil their potential," said Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia. "We must work together and invest in opportunities to unleash the promise of more than 170 million adolescent girls in South Asia. Doing so would be transformative for this region," he said. Government and UN officials, adolescent girls, as well as civil society representatives from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have participated in the dialogue and reaffirmed their commitment to providing better services to support pregnant adolescent girls and young mothers. This includes opportunities to learn, set up their businesses, and earn a living. The event held in Kathmandu over July 11-12 was jointly organised by SAARC, WHO, UNICEF, and UNFPA and was inaugurated by the Secretary General of SAARC, Ambassador Golam Sarwar. Adolescent mothers have a much higher risk of dying from maternal causes, compared to women in their 20s and 30s. "It is high time that we reverse this trend. The unique physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and sexual development during adolescence necessitates special attention in national and international policies. Effective strategies to tackle adolescent pregnancy require cross-sectoral collaboration and equitable access to a variety of services," said Saima Wazed, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia.

Over 6,500 adolescent girls die giving birth every year across South Asia, says a recent study

<ul><li>The most acute effect has been felt by <keyword id="482983" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="adolescent-girls" source="Orion">adolescent girls</keyword> aged 15-18 years, says a study by an NGO. </li><li>Adolescent girls, on an average, spend over 3.5 hours per day on <keyword id="162757" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="household-chores" source="Orion">household chores</keyword>, after the pandemic. </li><li>Adolescent girls yearned to return to school to be able to meet their peers, said a report by <keyword id="4671331" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="educate-girls" source="Orion">Educate Girls</keyword>. </li><li>Three out of four adolescent girls continue to carry the burden of household chores even after schools reopen.</li></ul>A new study conducted by Educate Girls, a non-profit organisation, reveals that the pandemic has had a deep impact on India’s adolescent girls. Not only has increased poverty taken them away from schools, they are also subjected to increased pressure of early marriage and household chores. After the pandemic, the number of hours spent on household chores for adolescent girls has increased by more than one hour a day. It now averages at over 3.5 hours per day. “The pandemic has affected both boys and girls, but the most acute effect has been felt by adolescent girls aged 15-18 years,” the study said. It has also taken them further away from schools and their peers, something that has also been aggravated by a dramatic loss of income in many households. "The findings of the study are clear - the barriers to girls' education are greater than ever before and we need to fight greater odds to ensure these girls go to school, don't drop out, and continue learning. The impact is most acute for adolescent girls. The study also highlights the stories of girls and the long-term effect the pandemic has left on their lives," says Safeena Husain, founder and board member, Educate Girls. The study was conducted between November and December 2021 in rural parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and <keyword id="6357713" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="uttar-pradesh" source="Orion">Uttar Pradesh</keyword>. It received responses from 3,200 girls and boys aged between 5-18 years. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Waking up early to do chores" comment="subhead" text="Waking up early to do chores">Waking up early to do chores</cmsannotation> School closures have taken away the ability of young girls to interact with peers. The proportion of adolescent girls not attending school (23%) was nearly double that of adolescent boys not attending school. Moreso, those who went back also continue to be burdened with increased household work – forcing them to find a balance between school and house work. “During discussions, mothers mentioned that girls are waking up earlier to complete their household tasks before school and even after. Boys on the other hand, only help when they feel like it and mothers cannot always rely on them to help out,” the report said. Three out of four adolescent girls will continue to carry the burden of household chores even when schools reopen. “Adolescent girls yearned to return to school to be able to meet their peers. As schools reopen, those who return to school will have to continue to find balance between school and household work. For many others, returning to school will require the combined effort of their community, their parents, their schools, and the government bodies operating in their ecosystems,” the report said. Even before the pandemic, things have been bad for young girls as compared to their male counterparts. Adolescent girls work as many as 120-150% more hours than boys in Indian households, quoting a 2017 report. Girls in this age group also expressed their willingness to go back to school to take a break from the household chores. “Evidence from lower-income countries where inherent gender inequalities exist points to the fact that the lockdown has resulted in an increased burden of household chores on girls,” the report said In India, the closure of 1.5 million schools in 2020 impacted around 247 million children enrolled in elementary and secondary schools. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Burden of early marriage" comment="subhead" text="Burden of early marriage">Burden of early marriage</cmsannotation> Another study by Educate Girls named <keyword id="15220655" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="girls-not-brides" source="Orion">Girls-Not-Brides</keyword> highlighted that out-of-school girls who are overburdened at home were also being forced to get married. This, the study says, would further lead to more chances of early pregnancy, domestic abuse and violence. Poverty and financial distress also led the parents to marry off their girls at an early age during Covid. According to the study, 30% of the girls participated in the survey in Uttar Pradesh were already married. In Rajasthan, there has been a significant increase in the number of marriage proposals coming to young girls. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/indian-markets-open-lower-due-to-weak-global-cues-fii-outflows-and-rupee/articleshow/94775844.cms">Indian markets open lower due to weak global cues, FII outflows and rupee</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/slowdown-hasnt-affected-deal-wins-yet-but-seeing-softness-in-long-term-deals-tcs/articleshow/94766700.cms">Slowdown hasn’t affected deal wins yet but seeing softness in long-term deals: TCS</a>

Teen girls are burdened with household chores that’s keeping them away from schools

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Suspected <keyword id="6356238" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="suicide">suicide</keyword> attempts by <keyword id="69272" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Teen-girls">teen girls</keyword> increased about 51% between February and March 2021 compared to the same period last year.</li><li>To gather the data, the <keyword id="6379474" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="cdc">CDC</keyword> tracked emergency room visits across the country for suspected suicide attempts.</li><li>Suicide attempts by teen boys aged 12 to 17 also went up but marginally.</li></ul>Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says teen girl suicide attempts increased drastically during the COVID-19 <keyword id="43587" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="pandemic">pandemic</keyword>. The <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7024e1.htm?s_cid=mm7024e1_w">study</a>, published Friday, found that suspected suicide attempts among girls aged 12 to 17 went up by 50.6% between February 21 and March 20 of this year, compared to the same time period in 2019 before the pandemic. Suicide attempts among boys of the same age range also went up but by 3.7%."Self-reported suicide attempts are consistently higher among adolescent females than among males, and research before the COVID-19 pandemic indicated that young females had both higher and increasing rates of ED visits for suicide attempts compared with males," researchers wrote in the study, suggesting this new data falls in line with previous research. "However, the findings from this study suggest more severe distress among young females than has been identified in previous reports during the pandemic, reinforcing the need for increased attention to, and prevention for, this population," the study continued.To conduct the study, researchers examined emergency room visits between January 1, 2019, and May 15, 2021. Visits to the emergency room by adolescents, especially girls, across 49 states and Washington, DC, began to increase around May 2020, the researchers noted. After May 2020, the rates at which adolescent girls visited the ER continued to stay elevated.The report comes as researchers release new information suggesting that the coronavirus pandemic might have led to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/23/health/coronavirus-mental-health-teens.html">higher rates of mental health problems among teenagers</a>. Adolescents have been showing <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health-news/impact-of-covid-19-lockdown-on-teens-mental-health">signs of anxiety and depression</a> as virtual learning across the country keeps friends isolated and prohibits participation in regular, in-person extracurricular activities. "Young persons might represent a group at high risk because they might have been particularly affected by mitigation measures, such as physical distancing (including a lack of connectedness to schools, teachers, and peers); barriers to <keyword id="6354774" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Mental-health">mental health</keyword> treatment; increases in substance use; and anxiety about family <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> and economic problems, which are all risk factors for suicide," researchers who conducted the CDC study wrote.

Suicide attempts among teen girls spiked by about 51% during the pandemic, the CDC says

New Delhi, May 27 (IANSlife) More than 51 percent of women respondents say that Indian schools do not have a proper system to prepare teen and adolescent girls regarding the onset of menstrual periods. Nearly 60 percent women feel schools lack adequate facilities for girls to change and dispose of sanitary pads off, says a survey. Today is Menstrual Hygiene Day 2020 falling , and feminine hygiene brand Everteen had conducted the fifth edition of its annual Menstrual Hygiene Survey. The survey was conducted among nearly 7000 Indian women participating from various cities of India including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. Over 51 percent women respondents claimed that Indian schools do not have adequate systems to educate or mentally prepare teen and adolescent girls regarding the onset of menstrual periods. More than 95 percent women asserted that Indian school system should have some awareness programs to prepare girls on the subject. The survey also revealed that during adolescence, nearly 60 percent women did not have any prior knowledge about menstrual periods. In fact, as many as 38 percent women had first misinterpreted it as an injury or disease. In terms of infrastructure, almost 59 percent women felt that schools do not have adequate cleanliness of public toilets or facilities for girls to change and dispose sanitary pads off. Chirag Pan, CEO, PAN Healthcare, says, "Menstrual hygiene and wellness have been known issues in the Indian context. While there has been progress in recent years, it is imperative that we leverage our strength in the Indian value-based systems and inculcate the importance of good menstrual hygiene from the onset of puberty itself. Schools can and must play a pivotal role in bringing this paradigm shift through classroom education, awareness programs and focused infrastructure development." In workspaces too, 41 percent women felt their office needed better cleanliness and facilities to change and dispose sanitary pads off in toilets. The survey also suggests that the role that doctors can play in preventing gynecological problems is significantly downplayed due to the shame and guilt associated with menstrual cycles in Indian context. More than 50 percent women said they have had some gynecological infection or problem such as UTI, rashes, foul smell or itching during or after menstrual cycle in the past one year. Among these, 20 percent of women had such issues more than 3 times during the year. More than 64 percent women have faced irregularities in their period dates, out of which half have had to deal with it more than 3 times in a year. Ironically, only 37 percent of women said they consult a doctor in case or irregular periods, whereas 32 percent prefer to discuss it within the family and 30 percent just ignore it. Similarly, more than 54 percent women have had white discharge, but only 25 percent prefer to consult a doctor. As many as 56 percent women believe that menstruation is still perceived as a taboo in Indian society. Not surprisingly, then, more than 42 percent of women felt uncomfortable buying sanitary essentials from a shop or a chemist, especially when there were several other customers. Because of the guilt associated with menstrual cycle, 87 percent women admitted that they had to hide or secretly take their sanitary product for changing. Interestingly, more than three-fourth of the respondents said that menstruation would not have been such a taboo subject in the society if men had it too! Another key revelation from the survey shows that 53 percent women have used a public toilet more than 3 times at an office, mall or cinema hall to change sanitary product. Hariom Tyagi, CEO, Wet and Dry Personal Care,says, "Our survey shows that 75 percent women feel uncomfortable having to use public toilets to change sanitary products. Yet, more than 93 percent women still use sanitary napkins. By switching to better, modern-age menstrual hygiene methods (MHM) such as menstrual cups, women can reduce the number of times they have to change their sanitary product in a day. Many women have told us that using menstrual cups has greatly reduced their daily discomfort due to periods." The survey revealed that menstrual cups are now being used by 4 percent of the women, and their adoption has overtaken tampons by almost double. One of the alarming trends that emerged from the survey shows that more than one-third women said they have used a pill or some other method to delay periods in case of an important occasion. (IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in) --IANS adr/tb/

Schools in India should have menstrual awareness programme: Survey

<ul><li>The Body Shop India's latest ad with <keyword id="89958" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shraddha-Kapoor">Shraddha Kapoor</keyword> reminds the audience how 'Periods are normal, society is strange.'</li><li>The brand has also partnered with CRY to make real change in society and raise more awareness. </li></ul>Menstruation is a natural bodily function and yet period shame along with lack of access to <keyword id="4769472" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="menstrual-health">menstrual health</keyword> and education continue to hold millions of girls and women back to this day. With the Covid-19 pandemic, the situation has only worsened with even more restricted access to safe period products, menstrual health awareness and education. The Body Shop, the activist British beauty brand powered by purposeful feminism sets out to partner with CRY – Child Rights and You, a leading Indian non-profit organization, to make real change by raising awareness about Periods, Period Shame and the impact of Period Shame of India’s girls &amp; women. Through this partnership, The Body Shop aims to normalize the conversation around periods and raise funds towards menstrual health and education efforts for communicated deeply affected by the pandemic. <div type="Youtube" id="6XVihCBaX-g" title="Periods are #BloodyNatural | Let's end period shame | The Body Shop India" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6XVihCBaX-g/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Periods are normal but India’s statistics around it are not: <ul><li>20% of girls in rural India leave schools after getting their first period. This is a direct consequence of social stigma, shame, isolation and poor access to safe menstrual products and disposal facilities.</li><li>After domestic chores, periods and the lack of menstrual amenities like Pads, Toilets for Girls and Disposal is the biggest reason for Indian girls missing school.</li><li>88% of menstruating women in India use unsanitary materials like dried leaves, ash, wood shavings, old fabric/rags, newspapers etc. to absorb menstrual discharge.</li><li>Poor menstrual hygiene leading to 70% increase in incidents of reproductive tract infections.</li></ul> <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Image"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div>Menstrual hygiene is recognized by the UN as a key global health issue and yet with Covid19, menstrual vulnerability has increased sharply and so has the gender health gap. This movement by The Body Shop is aimed to create an inclusive and long-term change on ground by including all genders in the conversation and working with CRY to bring about long-term attitudinal changes in disadvantaged communities. Over the next 4 months, The Body Shop India will partner with CRY for: <ol><li>Creating Period Awareness: Create heightened communication to normalize conversations around menstruation aimed at all genders using its wide network of stores, website and social media channels as touchpoints.</li><li>Raising Funds for Period Projects in Pandemic-hit Communities: Targeting a minimum commitment of INR 1.2 Mn, The Body Shop encourages its patrons and customers to support the cause with a small voluntary donation of INR 20 when shopping in stores or online.</li><li>Donating Period Products: Collect sealed period products as voluntary donations from consumers in Red Period Bins installed at all exclusive The Body Shop stores. All period products collected will be donated to local communities in need through CRY.</li><li>Collecting Pledges: Collect digital pledges at The Body Shop stores as well as different touch points from consumers, colleagues and beyond to propel personal action as below: <ol><li>I pledge to NEVER HIDE my period products &amp; carry them instead with pride</li><li>I pledge to tell a male FAMILY member about periods and have open conversations with everyone at home</li><li>I pledge to be honest about my period experiences and use the word ‘period’ with my FRIENDS instead of confusing code words</li><li>I pledge to make my COMMUNITY a period friendly environment, supporting education about period shame and providing quality products, private facilities and a proper disposable unit</li><li>I pledge to ask my SCHOOL to include expert period education in the curriculum</li></ol></li></ol>Through this initiative, The Body Shop and CRY are aiming to provide menstrual health awareness, education and free menstrual products to 10,000+ people across 4500 households. This campaign directly benefits underprivileged girls and women from slum communities in Delhi/NCR where access to menstrual health and products have been hit severely by the pandemic. This includes: <ul><li>Period Product distribution to 1000+ adolescent girls and women</li><li>Period Pathshala Sessions to educate adolescent girls and boys on menstrual health and hygiene including usage of period products.</li><li>Videos and Movie Screenings with adolescent girls and boys to build awareness and bust myths prevalent around menstruation</li><li>Anemia check-up kiosks to screen for common menstrual health conditions</li><li>Capacity building sessions with Front line health workers from community. Includes Anganwadi workers, ASHA, ANM and project team members to access benefit of Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS) and access to public sanitary pad schemes.</li></ul>Shriti Malhotra, CEO, The Body Shop India said, “Our advocacy on real world issues remains our driving force. With our core focus on feminism and female empowerment, there is no denying that the pandemic has worsened the already critical issue of period shame and menstrual access. The statistics in our country around this are appalling and there can be no letting up in pushing this conversation forward in a post-pandemic India. This is a change that each of us has the power to make – by speaking out honestly about menstruation, taking personal action in our own spaces towards it and walking the talk in putting our financial support towards those who need this help the most. Shame-free periods, safe menstrual products and accurate menstrual education is not a womens’ cause – it is a human cause.” Shraddha Kapoor, Brand Ambassador, The Body Shop India said, “It gives me immense joy to lend my voice for an issue that is so close to my heart. Period shame is deeply rooted in our upbringing and there is no better time than now to question its existence. Most Indian girls feel uncomfortable in talking about periods openly and this leads to lack of awareness of menstrual health in women. Along with The Body Shop, I pledge to contribute to this noble cause in every possible way that I can, small or big. I request you all to make a pledge, donate what you can and help create real change by ending period shame together.” On their partnership with The Body Shop India, Puja Marwaha, CEO, Child Rights and You (CRY) said, “Field experiences gathered by CRY suggest that periods is a major reason behind girls dropping out of schools – a fact that is echoed by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) data which indicates that only 57% of adolescent girls between 15-19 years are blessed with any hygienic form of protection during their menstrual cycles. CRY is delighted to partner with The Body Shop, and together we intend to create social awareness about menstrual hygiene, and at the same time, attempt to amplify voices demanding the access to free and quality sanitary napkins, safe disposal mechanisms, functional toilets and regular awareness sessions on menstrual hygiene. We both strongly believe that awareness is the key to break the taboo and shame related to periods in our society.”

The Body Shop's ad with brand ambassador Shraddha Kapoor aims to put a stop to period shame and encourage people to just say 'period'

<ul><li>A collective called Parcham is using football to empower women and bring equality in India's largest Muslim ghetto — Mumbra.</li><li>However, India's new citizenship laws have been a huge setback to the work that Parcham has been doing.</li><li>"There is a need for us to build solidarities and get to know each other a little bit better," co-founder of Parcham, <keyword id="245150" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sabah-Khan">Sabah Khan</keyword>, told Business Insider in an interview.</li></ul>Football has often been acclaimed as a powerful tool for unity and healing the world. In suburbs of Mumbai, a collective called Parcham is trying to use that magic to empower women in India's largest Muslim ghetto — Mumbra. "We use football to engage with adolescent girls. Through the game, what we're trying to do is, break the stereotype around how people expect girls to be," said Sabah Khan, co-founder of Parcham, in an interview with Business Insider. 
 <div type="image" title="Football Camp - Siddesh Raghavendra-7" msid="74533642" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Football camp hosted by Parcham&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 However, India's recent citizenship law, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), isn't making work easy for them. Khan believes that it's widened the divide between the government and the Muslim community. "It has been a huge setback to everything that we've been doing," she said. "We are trying to get past the disillusion that the community has with the government. Off and on things are said — like 'we're secondary citizens', 'no-one's going to be listening to us' and stuff like that." 
 <div type="image" title="Mumbra Practise" msid="74533648" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Football practice in Mumbra&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 Currently, one of the collective's main tasks is to find clarity on where elected officials stand on the rollout of the National Population Register (NPR). They have been participating in protests and meeting with officials, but there's no denying that CAA has already had a detrimental effect. "It reinforces the notion that 'we are really not wanted' and 'this is how the country sees us' [among the community]," said Khan. Women have common aspirations — irrespective of religion When Khan decided to introduce the football initiative in Muslim ghettos, there were other options on the table — some girls even suggested playing cricket or kho-kho. However, at the end of the day, only football made the cut. "Football is a means for us to further what we stand for. In that way, football is a team game. It means that everyone is out there together and no one is waiting for anyone else to get run out and leave the field," she explained. 
 <div type="image" title="Football Camp - Siddesh Raghavendra-47" msid="74533651" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Football camp&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 Parcham primarily reaches out to pre-adolescent Muslim girls but encourages Muslim and non-Muslim girls to play together. Over time, the collective found that their aspirations have a lot in common, irrespective of which religion they followed. "The kind of atmosphere that the country is going through, there is a need for us to build solidarities and get to know each other a little bit better. In the absence of this kind of interaction, it's a breeding ground for all kinds of prejudice and bigotry," said Khan. 
 <div type="image" title="Interaction with parents 2" msid="74533645" hostid="261"></div>



 Laying claim to public spaces Football is also a way for girls to feel more confident about themselves. Just the simple act of leaving the house to participate in something different is the first step towards an independent life, according to Khan. The idea is to lay claim on public spaces, access to which has been denied to women, particularly in the marginalised sectors of society. "Even in a city like Mumbai, which is cosmopolitan, in public parks you rarely get to see young girls play with mostly boys having access to the grounds," Khan pointed out. 
 <div type="image" title="Sion Practise" msid="74533657" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Football practice in Sion&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 However, that's easier said than done. In the beginning, playing in an open field meant getting harassed and leered at. But the band got together and successfully petitioned the electoral representation to allocate a ground specifically for girls so that they can play in peace. Now that field is being turned into a sports ground, which could make room for other sports as well.

Here's how a collective is using football to empower women and bring unity in India’s largest Muslim ghetto

<table class="image-container float_right" width="200"><tr><td><div class="image"></div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/calistan/60424773/">Flickr/cometstarmoon</a></td></tr></table>According to a new <a href="http://papers.nber.org/papers/w18805#fromrss">NBER working paper</a>, "among teenagers who smoke frequently, 46% of girls and 30% of boys are <keyword id="6357278" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Smoking">smoking</keyword> in part to control their weight. This practice is significantly more common among youths who describe themselves as too fat than those who describe themselves as about the right weight."
"Smoking for weight control is particularly common among white girls and those who consider themselves too fat."
<a href="http://papers.nber.org/papers/w18805#fromrss">John Cawley and Stephanie von Hinke Kessler Scholder</a>, the authors of this study, argue this is something important to consider for regulators trying to change behavior.
"Under reasonable assumptions, the demand for cigarettes is less price elastic among those who smoke for weight control," they write. "Thus, taxes on cigarettes will result in less behavior change (but more revenue collection and less deadweight loss) among those for whom the demand for cigarettes is a derived demand"
In other words, if you raise taxes on cigarettes, teens will just find themselves spending more on cigarettes, not smoking less.
"Public health efforts to reduce smoking initiation and encourage cessation may wish to design campaigns to alter the derived nature of cigarette demand, especially among adolescent girls."
Download the paper at <a href="http://papers.nber.org/papers/w18805#fromrss">papers.nber.org</a>.

Kids Are Smoking Because They Think They're Fat

<ul><li><keyword id="56000" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="UNICEF">Unicef</keyword> has roped in actor Ayushmann Khurrana as its <keyword id="3043604" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="celebrity-advocate">celebrity advocate</keyword> for promoting rights #ForEveryChild.</li><li>As a part of his association, the actor will support UNICEF towards its work around ending <keyword id="1835045" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Violence-against-children">violence against children</keyword>.</li></ul> Actor Ayushmann Khurrana has been roped in by <keyword id="275625" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="UNICEF-India">UNICEF India</keyword> as its celebrity advocate for promoting rights #ForEveryChild. Ayushmann Khurrana will support UNICEF towards its work around ending violence against children. Welcoming <keyword id="965758" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ayushman-Khurrana">Ayushman Khurrana</keyword> as a celebrity advocate for children’s rights, <keyword id="6262621" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="yasmin-ali-haque">Yasmin Ali Haque</keyword>, UNICEF Representative in India said, “I am delighted to welcome Ayushmann Khurrana as a UNICEF celebrity advocate. He’s an actor who challenges the boundary of every role he plays. He will bring a sensitivity, passion and a powerful voice for every child, with a specific focus towards ending violence against children. Ayushmann’s support will help increase awareness about this important issue, especially now with Covid-19 heightening the risk of violence and abuse against children due to the extended lockdown and the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic.” Ayushmann Khurrana said, “I am very pleased to partner with UNICEF as a celebrity advocate. I believe that everyone deserves the best start in life. As I watch my children play in the safety and happiness of our home, I think about all the children who never get to experience a safe childhood and grow up with violence at home or outside. With UNICEF, I look forward to supporting rights of the most vulnerable children, so that they grow up as happier, healthier, educated citizens in nurturing environments free from violence.” Violence occurs every day and is reality for a large number of girls and boys in India. Often the violence is caused or perpetrated by someone the child knows and trusts. Violence happens in those places intended to be protective: at home, at school, in their communities, in specialized institutions for children. It can also be online. As daily lives and families are disrupted by COVID-19, children may be at increased risk as illness, school closures, job loss and isolation measures put additional stress on families and may lead to negative coping mechanisms that may sadly include abusive behaviors against children. Children deserve to live free from violence and to have a chance to live happy, healthy lives in which they can achieve their full potential and contribute to their families and communities. UNICEF is committed to ending violence against children by partnering with children and young people, families, communities, influencers and governments. Addressing violence against children is a priority for UNICEF, placing violence prevention at the core of its work. Data on violence against children <ul><li>One out of five adolescent girls have experienced physical violence since age 15 and one in three adolescent girls married or in union have experienced violence by their husband or partners. (Source: NFHS 4)</li><li>Every hour 5 cases of child sexual abuse are reported. (Source: NCRB 2018).</li><li>50% of cases of sexual abuse are perpetrated by close family members or friends. (Source: NCRB, 2018)</li><li>99% of school children are subjected to physical and mental abuse by teachers (Source: NCPCR, 2012)</li><li>One in three children in India reported that they experienced cyberbullying. (Source: U-Report, 2019)</li></ul>

Ayushmann Khurrana joins hands with UNICEF India to advocate for child rights

New Delhi, Feb 8 () Homegrown pharma firm Cipla on Saturday announced the acquisition of nutrition products portfolio from Wanbury Ltd. The company has acquired 4 brands namely CPink, CDense, Productiv and Folinine to further strengthen its presence in women's health portfolio. The nutraceutical products, to be sold under the 4 umbrella brands, would address various health needs for conditions arising due to nutritional deficiencies or insufficiencies, Cipla said in a regulatory filing. This includes supplements such as multivitamins, multimineral and antioxidants for adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women, women going through menopause and for male and female reproductive health, it said. Through this newly acquired portfolio, the company shall be catering to a wide range of patient's needs including nutritional deficiencies, bone health and sexual health, it said. The above molecules previously commercialized by Wanbury have a market size of Rs 3,100 crore in India with sales value of Rs 59.6 crore. DP DP ANUANU

Cipla acquires 4 nutrition brands from Wanbury

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A new study found that teen girls' brains aged faster during the pandemic.</li><li>Researchers measured cortical thinning, a natural process that can be accelerated by stress.</li></ul>This week, a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2403200121">new scientific paper</a> sent a ripple through the world of child psychology.Researchers at the University of Washington published brain scans of teenagers taken three years apart, in 2018 and 2021.The team expected significant findings, since the second scans were taken after all of the kids had their lives suddenly upended and socially stunted by COVID lockdowns.They hypothesized that girls would be more impacted, because they're more reliant on peer relationships for emotional support than teen boys. But "we didn't expect it to be as dramatic a difference," lead author Dr. Neva Corrigan told Business Insider.The average acceleration for teen girls was 4.2 years, compared to 1.4 for boys.While more research is needed, the study offers a glimpse into the effects the pandemic had on brain development. It comes at a time when teen girls have seen a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cdc-report-teen-girls-alarming-rates-sadness-hopelessness-sexual-violence-2023-2">sharp rise in sadness and hopelessness</a>, often attributed to social media use.<h2 id="c81b7065-67f7-4f59-9455-c4636815bed5">Isolation may have played a role</h2>The original intention of the study was to track typical adolescent brain development, Corrigan, who specializes in MRI data acquisition and analysis, told BI. In 2018, her team took MRI data from 160 adolescents ages 9, 11, 13, 15, and 17, and planned to follow up at a later date.But after the pandemic, "we realized that we could no longer call this typical development," Corrigan said. "These kids had undergone a huge change in their lives." Her team knew they had a unique opportunity to examine how aspects of the pandemic, such as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/public-teacher-homeschool-own-kids-2024-5">remote learning</a>, affected the brain.In 2021, about 130 of the subjects returned for more testing. The team measured cortical thinning, a natural process that usually begins in late childhood and is believed to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3791607/">improve cognitive performance</a>.The age acceleration was more than double the size in teen girls, and the regions most impacted were all related to social cognition, such as facial recognition and language comprehension.Because females generally rely more on <a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17328705/">relationships for emotional support</a> than males, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/modern-loneliness">loneliness</a> during the pandemic could have caused teen girls more stress, speeding up their cortical thinning.<h2 id="ca6c015e-1e33-410a-957c-fdee9576f795">Cortical thinning isn't always negative</h2>Corrigan said there's a lot we still don't know about cortical thinning, such as whether it's reversible.However, she said past studies have shown that accelerated cortical thinning can put people at higher risk for neurodegenerative disorders in old age, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.It can also increase the odds of developing psychiatric disorders such as depression or anxiety.At the same time, quicker brain aging isn't necessarily all bad. It's believed that the cortex thins to reduce the effect the environment has on brain development, Corrigan said. If the brain is less vulnerable to external stressors, "that could make these kids a little bit more resilient to stress," she said.<h2 id="47b59dfa-19bd-494b-98ab-6151b36b2682">There are still many unknowns</h2>Bradley S. Peterson, a pediatric psychiatrist at Children's Hospital Los Angeles who wasn't part of the study, told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/09/health/teen-brains-pandemic-girls.html">The New York Times</a> that it had some limitations. One was that the data came from different subsets of the group, rather than measuring each individual's brain changes.The study also didn't track the participants' individual habits, so it can't confirm if other elements of the pandemic, such as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/surgeon-general-social-media-warning-label-mental-health-crisis-children-2024-6">increased screen time</a>, contributed to quicker cortical thinning.Corrigan said the biggest takeaway for parents is to be mindful of the potential risks of their teens developing anxiety or depression. "Perhaps they can help stave that off by talking to their kids and providing emotional support for them."

Brain scans show teen girls aged 4 years faster than boys during COVID lockdowns. We asked the researcher what that means long-term.

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>I remember the days of coming home from school and tuning into MTV's "TRL," a program that counted down the top music videos in front of screaming mobs of adolescent girls.Today, teens are finding the same guilty pleasure in an app.<a href="http://musical.ly/">Musical.ly</a> is a video network app, where users - or "musers," as they're called - create 15-second videos of themselves lip-syncing and dancing along to popular music. You can "heart" videos and create digital duets with your "BFFs," or people you follow and who follow you back.More than 150 million people, mostly teens, have registered. If the demographic isn't abundantly clear from scrolling through the featured videos, the app also reminds you of its target user during sign-up, when it enters 2000 as the default birth year.After talking with a handful of middle schoolers for Musical.ly tips, I entered the mysterious world of teen-tech to see what the buzz is all about. Here are the basics.

How to use Musical.ly, the app with 150 million users that teens are obsessed with

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>I remember the days of coming home from school and tuning into MTV's "TRL," a program that&#xa0;counted down the top music videos in front of screaming mobs of adolescent girls.Today, teens are finding the same guilty pleasure in an app.<a href="http://musical.ly/">Musical.ly</a> is a DIY music-video making app, where users (or "musers," as they're called) create 15-second videos of themselves lip-syncing and dancing&#xa0;along to popular music. You can "heart" videos and create digital duets with your "BFFs," or people you follow and who follow you back.<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-musically-2016-5">More than 70 million people have registered</a>, mostly teens. If the target demographic isn't&#xa0;abundantly clear from scrolling through the featured videos, the app also reminds you during sign-up, when it enters 2000 as the default birth year.I talked with a handful of middle schoolers&#xa0;for Musical.ly tips, and entered the mysterious world of teen-tech to see what the buzz is all about.&#xa0;Here are the basics.

You Searched For "adolescent girls" and got 12 results

Over 6,500 adolescent girls die giving birth every year across South Asia, says a recent study

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Suicide attempts among teen girls spiked by about 51% during the pandemic, the CDC says

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Schools in India should have menstrual awareness programme: Survey

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The Body Shop's ad with brand ambassador Shraddha Kapoor aims to put a stop to period shame and encourage people to just say 'period'

BI India Partner

Here's how a collective is using football to empower women and bring unity in India’s largest Muslim ghetto

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Kids Are Smoking Because They Think They're Fat

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Ayushmann Khurrana joins hands with UNICEF India to advocate for child rights

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Cipla acquires 4 nutrition brands from Wanbury

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Brain scans show teen girls aged 4 years faster than boys during COVID lockdowns. We asked the researcher what that means long-term.

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How to use Musical.ly, the app with 150 million users that teens are obsessed with

Melia Robinson

How to use Musical.ly, the app with 70 million users that teens are obsessed with

Melia Robinson

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