The Second report by the Lancet Commission Through the health of young people, health has produced some alarming statistics regarding the state of adolescent well-being and health according to the Covid 19 pandemic. The Commission estimates that around 2100 1.8 billion young people will live in a world that is about 2.8 degrees Celsius warmer than in the past and at the same time with increasing exposure to food uncertainty, economic challenges and armed conflicts. However, the consequences for female young people are even more worrying. In a world that is exposed to increasing uncertainty and risks, young girls are exposed to disproportionate stress due to early life, in particular deprivation and gender -specific violence.
In addition, you are more susceptible to children’s marriage, pregnancies of teenagers and other discriminatory practices, which leads to an increased exposure to non-transferable diseases (NCDS) relatives. These increasing gender differences in the well -being of young people are an indicator of a lack of gender -specific measures and health policy in order to remedy the increased risks of girls and female adolescents.
Source: Fii
Guidelines that aim at young people must be examined from a gender-specific lens. They must be designed and implemented in this way, which recognize and challenge the different experiences and challenges for young girls in a way that recognizes and challenges the prevailing gender standards, roles and inequalities. A current report by UNICEF Also underlined that gender -specific violence and discriminatory practices worldwide continue to worsen the health risks for young girls and underline the need for targeted interventions more than ever.
A sociological framework
A sociological lens is necessary to understand the theory of gender theory and social norms in order to dissect the mechanisms through the informal rules and social expectations in the healthcare sector. Fly rooted gender -specific ideologies are often crucial for the access of women to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. Young women are refused basic body rights in every development phase – a “malignant” cycle of rejection. This cycle continues when young girls become mothers. The statistics are pointed out. 54% of young girls are anemic, while a third of them are underweight and stunted.
The refusal of the information is a crucial part of this cycle. Predictive norms around women prevent them from accessing important information. The statement of a teenager girl in Telangana is an indication of this:
“I was extremely stressed because I didn’t know the reason for menstruation. Whenever I tried to talk about it, my mother and sister fell. I only knew that my girlfriend when she started her period never came back to school. ‘
“I was extremely stressed because I didn’t know the reason for menstruation. Whenever I tried to talk about it, my mother and sister fell. I only knew that my girlfriend when she started her period never came back to school. ‘
In addition, simple access to such information is based on institutional factors, as is emphasized by a 2023 UNESCO survey, which states that this is specified 23 million girls are school every year Due to the lack of proper menstrual hygiene management facilities. Further lack of awareness and workforce at the primary level, such as primary health facilities (PHCS), ensure the continued rejection of crucial services and information. The training of service providers and peer educators is remarkable gaps, including inadequate training duration, lack of quality control and uneven training content in the states. The training of employees at the forefront, especially gender -specific sensitivity training, is practically missing.
Girls from marginalized districts and municipalities are excluded from the provision of institutional services in particular due to discrimination and additional infrastructural and geographical obstacles. Therefore, many marginalized communities are far from health and educational institutions, which presents a lot of obstacles.
Young girls and psychological health problems
The second report by the Lancet Commission also indicates the deteriorating state of mental health among young people. According to the Commission’s report, an estimated 42 million years of healthy life will be lost in mental disorders or suicide.
Source: Fii
Young girls in particular have a much higher prevalence of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, suicide thoughts and attempts to suicide. A deterioration in mental health is often a reaction to systemic inequalities and cultural pressure. The feminist theory expressly underlines the role of social expectations and norms in order to deteriorate mental health, in particular the pressure to deal with norms of femininity and to deal with sexism and gender -specific violence. Women experience interpersonal violence, including domestic violence, sexual assault and violence of intimate partners.
In the age of increasing penetration of social media among teenagers, the aggravation of body creative diseases has become particularly worrying. In fact, more than 60% of young girls stated dissatisfaction with their body image in 2023.
In the age of increasing penetration of social media among teenagers, the aggravation of body creative diseases has become particularly worrying. In fact, More than 60% of young girls In 2023 the dissatisfaction reported with her body image.
In addition, experts have highlighted the lack of gender -specific research in the field of psychology in order to understand the differences in symptoms and disorders. The approach to mental health from a feminist perspective therefore requires the critical analysis of ”Gender scheme ‘ -Mental structures that organize information in connection with gender that are of central importance for the development of gender identity and influence behavior, preferences and self -concept at a young age. This means that the worldviews of girls in relation to gender roles shape their view of themselves. This pressure often increases the risk of depression, anxiety and emotional burdens from girls, especially since gender expectations during the youth become more stubborn, and girls are more likely to be difficult and experience compared to boys.
Obstacles in the search for information
Most girls are not aware of the available services and lack basic information, especially via SRH issues. There is a remarkable absence of school and community outreach activities to raise awareness of SRH. The stigma – in connection with menstruation, sexual health or reproductive rights, which are often considered taboo, make it difficult for teenagers to access reliable sources. This often urges girls to rely on informal sources and incorrectly informed agents. 72% of the girls in Bihar are exposed to health barriers Stigma and lack of information.
Source: Fii
The lack of access extends into temporal dimensions, which, in combination with income ease, serve to make the inequalities of access worse. Young girls in communities with low incomes often work every day in sectors such as clothing, so that they have no time to visit health facilities during the operation. Financial restrictions force themselves to free but overloaded public services, in which providers are often familiar with the sensitivity of the sexes and may not understand or approach the needs of these girls.
Multiple danger: How intersectional identities make the inequalities worsen
Young girls who belong to marginalized communities and regions Multiple dangerThat means their multiple marginalizations can increase disadvantages for these girls instead of just increasing their loads. Young girls from families with low incomes suffer more often from malnutrition, anemia and lack of access to high -quality health services. They also carry a disproportionate burden on unpaid homework and leave less time for self -care and education.
Girls from such communities are often unable to access and resort to legal institutions, as they are exposed to increased fear of criminalization, discrimination and violations of confidentiality. In addition, ambiguous laws such as the abortions that the police and the need for guardianship require consent can prevent girls from looking for safe, legal abortion services.
Coping with the mental health of young girls therefore requires a holistic approach that recognizes the different forms of discrimination with which they are confronted and their positioning in a gender -independent and gender -sensitive society. The integration of their concerns into the mainstream health system and services therefore not only requires comprehensive research into the subjective concerns of these girls, but also the training of gender sensitivity for health service providers on the primary level as well as targeted and participatory approaches, especially for girls from marginalized communities.
Sohalika Shrivastava is a student in the 3rd year at Iit Madras Out and shortly before it is to carve a niche. In her free time she likes to read about animal facts and likes to learn
