HAMARI ZAROORATEIN HAMAARI AWAAZ - UN India · HAMARI ZAROORATEIN HAMAARI AWAAZ. OUR NEEDS OUR VOICE [ 2 ] Young people are an important group to be reckoned with. India is home to

OUR NEEDS OUR VOICE[ 1 ]

HAMARI ZAROORATEIN HAMAARI AWAAZ


Young people are an important group to be reckoned with. India is home to an estimated 358 million people (2011 India Census) in the age group of 10-24 years comprising 31 percent of the country’s population. Their sheer numbers are suggestive of the attention that is required to address their needs and aspirations. Not only does this cohort represent the future of the country, but their potential and experience will largely determine the extent to which the nation will be able to reap the demographic dividend.

Indicator Value Year Source

Population in the age group 10-19 (adolescent)

253,160,473 2011 Census of India

Population in the age group 15-24 (youth)

231,878,057 2011 Census of India

With the available demographic dividend and the changing power dynamics, India’s voice has begun to count at the world platform as well.

In the last two years (2012-2013), several consultations with young people across the country were held by the UN system. Throughout the deliberations in these consultations, young people have been unanimous in their demands and given recommendations on issues related to health, education, livelihoods, leadership, social justice, governance and discrimination. One clear message in every consultation was that “Young people are not heard”, “not seen, understood or respected as

equal partners, stakeholders and decision-makers”.

Young people are a group that is underserved, but are gaining attention. The government is designing policies and programmes taking into account their needs and demands and is also allocating resources for their well being.

But, young people are a heterogeneous group. Some are marginalized, belong to tribal

groups, are from a religious minority and are from urban slums and rural areas. If we get it right for the young marginalized group, we will be able to reach out to a larger group of young people. While needs of information, education, skills (building or enhancement of traditional skills), livelihood and services including health services may be universal, the approaches to address these have to be customized to the context and realities of specific sub-groups.


With the right investments, today’s young people can reach their full potential as individuals, leaders and agents of progress. And the world clearly needs their energy,

participation and skills. Delivering this transformation requires collective action and a commitment by all the stakeholders to address their concerns and needs.

EDUCATION

Need for universal access to comprehensive, relevant and inclusive education


Literacy rate among youth aged 15-19 (%) 88.8 2011 Census of India

Literacy rate among youth aged 20-24 (%) 83.2 2011 Census of India

Current attendance rates in educational institution among youth aged 15-19:• male youth • female youth

57.6

61.552.8

2009-10National Sample Survey Office 2013

Percentage of 15-19 women who have comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS

18.6 2005-06

National Family Health Survey 2005-06

Percentage of 20-24 women who have comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS

21.4 2005-06

Percentage of 15-19 men who have comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS

34.5 2005-06

Percentage of 20-24 men who have comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS

37.8 2005-06

The above data shows that in the age group 15-19 years, there are 52.8 percent girls and 61.5 percent boys attending formal schooling, indicating that nearly 50 percent of girls and 40 percent boys drop out of formal schooling by age 14. The numbers of school dropouts are higher among girls largely

due to financial constraints, lack of teachers and schools in close proximity to their villages.

In the age group 20-24, there are only 12.9 percent female youth and 23.1 male youth attending educational institutions signifying that the majority are unable to

access higher education due to financial constraints and have joined the workforce.

A secure space which is fenced, has a playground, clean, better ventilated and separate toilets for boys and girls is what majority of young people are demanding. There are

“In many schools, teachers are not available and far away from one’s places.”

Female, 23 years old, Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, (youth

consultation)


groups of young people who want vocational studies and life skills to be universalized in all schools and health and sex education to be integrated in the school curriculum. There are young people who are inhibited from accessing formal institutions of learning because of lack of integration of local and traditional knowledge in the curriculum. Youth with disabilities are further impacted due to lack of access and opportunities in school as well as higher education.

While awareness of HIV/AIDS is high among young people, just 18.6 percent women in the age group of 15-19 have comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS and 21.4 percent women in the age group 20-24 years. Among boys in the age group of 15-19 years it is 34.5 percent, while in the 20-24 age group it is 37.8 percent.

Considerable gender difference in the comprehensive knowledge and awareness about contraceptive use and HIV/AIDS exposes young women to greater vulnerability.

Regular and quality teaching in all schools, reducing the non teaching roles of teachers, access to English, availability of libraries in schools in villages and urban slums, affordable extra provisions to improve academic performance and support in preparing for competitive examinations are needs that young people demand.

There are others who demand transport facilities and learning spaces for migrant children. They have articulated the need for residential schools at the place of origin or day care educational facilities at the place of migration.

Inducting Peer educators and students in the School Management Committees (SMCs) is yet another need expressed by young people so that their needs get attention and concerns redressed.

HEALTH, REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, MARRIAGE, FERTILITY

While the legal age of marriage is 18 for girls and 21 for boys, data shows that 22.1 percent of girls married before 18 and 23.4 percent of boys were married before the legal age of 21. The percentage of women aged 15-19 who have given birth by age 18 is 12.1, while percentage of women aged 20-24 who have given birth by age 18 is 21.7.



Percentage of boys who married before legal age 21

23.4 2007-08District level Household and Facility Survey DLHS-3 (2007-08)

Percentage of girls who married before legal age 18

22.1 2007-08

Currently married women aged 20-24 who were married before age 18

42.9 2007-08

Percentage of women aged 20-24 who have given birth by age 18

21.7 2005-06 National Family Health Survey 2005-06

Percentage of women aged 15-19 who have given birth by age 18

12.1 2005-06

Number of births per 1000 women aged 15-19

30.7 2011 Sample Registration System

Unmet need for spacing method of family planning among currently married women aged 15-19

25.8 2007-08District level Household and Facility Survey DLHS-3 (2007-08)

Unmet need for spacing method of family planning among currently married women aged 20-24

19.4 2007-08

Percentage of youth age 15-24 men who are current users of any smoked tobacco product

9.7 2009-10 Global Adult Tobacco Survey-India

Findings underscore young people’s knowledge and awareness on contraception, HIV and safe practices. Statistics show that there is 28.3 percentage unmet need for family planning among currently married women aged 15-19 and 28.5 percent among women aged 20-24. The unmet

need for spacing method of family planning among currently married women aged 15-19 is 25.8 and 19.4 among the currently married women in the age group 20-24.

Data shows that 9.7 percent of young men in the age group 15-24 are current users of tobacco.


Young people lack an informed and knowledgeable support group that can ensure them holistic health, well being and rights. They need access to accurate information and confidentiality with regard to safe sexual practices. Lack of quality preventive and curative health programmes and affordable and

confidential youth friendly health care services is what young people are demanding. There is demand by them for universalization of IFA supplements in schools and for young pregnant women. There is demand for regular health awareness programmes with greater focus on HIV/AIDS.

“If we were to visit family planning clinics with questions of pregnancy or abortion or protection, they will want to first ask if our parents know about this.”

Voice of a 19 year old female from New Delhi

(youth consultation)


There is demand by young people for accessible counselling at the Primary Health Centre (PHC) for addressing their health needs and well being. To ensure availability of this service there is demand for the presence of quality doctors at PHCs. Better and more complete coverage by the Auxiliary Nurse

Midwife (ANM) and an ASHA-like worker to work with boys and young men is a need expressed by them.

Young people demand peer education programmes through the integration of life skills with the aim to negotiate relationships, make informed choices, reduce gender

based violence and increase access to youth friendly health services. They have articulated the need for PHCs to have youth-friendly and confidential counselling services, and availability of stress counselling in school and trauma counselling as accessible through referrals.


WORK PARTICPATION AND LIVELIHOOD Indicator Value Year Source

Work participation rate among 15-19 (%)

25.1 2011 Census of India

male (%) 30.8 2011 Census of India

female (%) 18.6 2011 Census of India

rural (%) 28.9 2011 Census of India

urban (%) 16.4 2011 Census of India

Work participation rate among 20-24 (%)


male (%) 66.0 2011 Census of India

female (%) 32.4 2011 Census of India

rural (%) 56.1 2011 Census of India

urban (%) 37.5 2011 Census of India

Percentage of agriculture workers to total workers among Youth (15-24)


Percentage of agriculture male workers to total male workers among Youth (15-24)


Percentage of agriculture female workers to total female workers among Youth (15-24)


Unemployment rates among youth (15-19) (%) rural

7.2 2009-10

National Sample Survey Office 2011, Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation

Unemployment rates among youth (15-19) (%) urban

12.0 2009-10

Unemployment rates among youth (20-24) (%) rural

5.7 2009-10

Unemployment rates among youth (20-24) (%) urban

11.6 2009-10


The above data shows that there is differential in male–female work participation rate among 15-19 year olds and 20-24 year-olds. There is also differential in the work participation rate among rural and urban youth. While there are differences in the unemployment rates among rural and urban youth, there is not much difference in the rates among 15-19 and 20-24 year old youth both within rural and urban status.

To ensure equitable growth and livelihoods, there is need to invest in business and life skills of young people and context-specific opportunities. The lack of career counselling and guidance facilities for youth inhibits them from accessing opportunities available for employment and entrepreneurship. Young people need opportunities for training and development (including higher education). They need information about government schemes and access to financial resources including loan facilities.

There is a gap between availability of opportunities and ability of young people to fill those positions due to a focus only on hard skills of business without any focus on creating opportunities for young people to develop values, ethics and soft skills as active citizens.


’’ We want to be involved from planning to monitoring – beginning to end. ’’

Voices of young people from a Youth consultation held in

Rajasthan.

There is increased unemployment and migration due to youth being forced to move out of traditional livelihoods like agriculture due to lack of support and due importance viz a viz urban choices.

Young people are demanding access to internet and computers even in villages and life skills education as part of all work with young people

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND GOVERNANCE

Young people lack platforms to access decision-making at policy levels and their voices are absent in governance (policy making to delivering to monitoring). There is absence of effective youth-friendly grievance redressal mechanism for access to essential services (speedy and fair system of justice) and a


lack of transparent and accountable governance system.

In various youth consultations held across the country during the year, young people have articulated the need for sensitisation of private media houses for social messaging (on issues like child labour, early marriage), using SMS for providing information on social issues, orienting ASHAs, teachers AWWs and youth group on awareness and

vigilance of under-age marriages. They have demanded inclusion of religious leaders, family, khap panchayats etc. While developing awareness programmes around SRH education.

To bring voices of young people in governance, they are demanding atleast 25 percent of seats for youth at the elected bodies, starting from local governance bodies. There is demand for a separate budget for

youth across all policies, programmes and legislations and creation of an international youth commission to address youth concerns. For young people, especially from marginalized groups, the demand is for availability and accessibility of free legal aid.

Young people are demanding initiation and establishment of youth clubs across the country as safe and open space for fun and learning and capacity building for both boys and girls.

in.one.un.orgImage CreditsCover: ©Zubeni Lotha/UNFPA Pages 2,5,10: ©Zubeni Lotha/UNFPAPage 4: ©Anant Vikas Trust, 2013Pages 6,12: ©The Peace Gong, 2013 Page 7: ©Tom Pietrasik/UNDP IndiaPages 8,9: ©Sephi Bergerson/UNDP India Pages 11: ©Niklas Ha’llen/UNDP India

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HAMARI ZAROORATEIN HAMAARI AWAAZ - UN India · HAMARI ZAROORATEIN HAMAARI AWAAZ. OUR NEEDS OUR VOICE [ 2 ] Young people are an important group to be reckoned with. India is home to