New Delhi: A survey conducted in urban slums in Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and Telangana found that 67 per cent girls did not attend online classes during the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020. A study conducted by the NGO Save the Children in February last year also found that 68 per cent of girls between the ages of 10 and 18 in these states faced challenges in accessing health and nutrition facilities. Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and Telangana represent the four geographical regions of the country – East, West, North and South.
These states were selected by a wide range of criteria, including cases of Covid-19, child sex ratio, marriage of girls before the age of 18, average annual dropout rate, and use of sanitary facilities by girls and women aged 15 to 24 years. In each state, two districts or cities were selected. The report titled ‘Wings 2022: World of India’s Girls: Spotlight on Adolescent Girls Amid Covid-19’ states that the possibility of infection during the 2020 lockdown, closure of schools and health centers, availability of health workers has affected adolescents. Access to health and nutrition facilities was made difficult
It said that after the lockdown, 51 percent of adolescents faced challenges in accessing health services. Only one in three girls attended an online class during the lockdown in four states, the report said. Three out of four mothers (73 per cent) indicated that the epidemic had had a serious effect on their daughter’s studies.
It said that due to school closures, two out of every five girls (42 per cent) were not approached by the school as claimed by the mothers. The lockdown has led to a decline in sports and creative activities as schools are places where girls participate. Non-study activities.
One in two girls said they missed school with their siblings and friends, the report said. He also said that the possibility of child marriage has increased due to loss of jobs and decline in family income during the epidemic. “One in seven mothers feels that the risk of getting married before the prescribed age limit has increased due to the epidemic,” it said. ,
