Youth in India
India is the most populated country in the world with nearly a fifth of the world's population. According to the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects[1][2] the population stood at 1,407,563,842.
India has more than 50% of its population below the age of 25 and more than 65% below the age of 35. In 2020, the average age of an Indian is 29 years, compared to 37 for China and 48 for Japan; and, by 2030, India's
There are significant issues affecting young people around education in India, although in many respects this is a success story. Other persistent problems include child labour in India, malnutrition in India, street children in India, child marriage in India, child trafficking in India and others.
Education
As per the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2012, 96.5% of all rural children between the ages of 6-14 were enrolled in school. This is the fourth annual survey to report enrollment above 96%. India has maintained an average enrolment ratio of 95% for students in this age group from year 2007 to 2014. As an outcome the number of students in the age group 6-14 who are not enrolled in school has come down to 2.8% in the year academic year 2018 (ASER 2018).[5] Another report from 2013 stated that there were 229 million students enrolled in different accredited urban and rural schools of India, from Class I to XII, representing an increase of 23 lakh students over 2002 total enrolment, and a 19% increase in girl's enrolment.[6] While quantitatively India is inching closer to universal education, the quality of its education has been questioned particularly in its government run school system. While more than 95 percent of children attend primary school, just 40 percent of Indian adolescents attend secondary school (Grades 9-12). Since 2000, the World Bank has committed over $2 billion to education in India. Some of the reasons for the poor quality include absence of around 25% of teachers every day.[7] States of India have introduced tests and education assessment system to identify and improve such schools.[8]
The primary education in India is divided into two parts, namely Lower Primary (Class I-IV) and Upper Primary (Middle school, Class V-VIII). The Indian government lays emphasis on primary education ( Class I-VIII ) also referred to as elementary education, to children aged 6 to 14 years old.[9] Because education laws are given by the states, duration of primary school visit alters between the Indian states. The Indian government has also banned child labour in order to ensure that the children do not enter unsafe working conditions.[9] However, both free education and the ban on child labour are difficult to enforce due to economic disparity and social conditions.[9] 80% of all recognised schools at the elementary stage are government run or supported, making it the largest provider of education in the country.[10]
However, due to a shortage of resources and lack of political will, this system suffers from massive gaps including high pupil to teacher ratios, shortage of infrastructure and poor levels of teacher training. Figures released by the Indian government in 2011 show that there were 5,816,673 elementary school teachers in India.[11] As of March 2012[update] there were 2,127,000 secondary school teachers in India.[12]
Education has also been made free
The National Sample Survey Organisation and the National Family Health Survey collected data in India on the percentage of children completing primary school which are reported to be only 36.8% and 37.7% respectively.[14] On 21 February 2005, the Prime Minister of India said that he was pained to note that "only 47 out of 100 children enrolled in class I reach class VIII, putting the dropout rate at 52.78 percent."[15] It is estimated that at least 35 million, and possibly as many as 60 million, children aged 6–14 years are not in school.[16]
Nutrition
The
On the
Socio-economic status
When it comes to child malnutrition, children in low-income families are more malnourished than those in high-income families. The
The rates of malnutrition are exceptionally high among adolescent girls and pregnant and lactating women in India, with repercussions for children's health.[a][22]
Midday Meal Nutrition Scheme
The Midday Meal Scheme is a
Youth unemployment
Child labour
In 2011, the national census of India found that the total number of
As per the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, amended in 2016 ("CLPR Act"), a "Child" is defined as any person below the age of 14, and the CLPR Act prohibits employment of a Child in any employment including as a domestic help. It is a cognizable criminal offence to employ a Child for any work. Children between age of 14 and 18 are defined as "Adolescent" and the law allows Adolescent to be employed except in the listed hazardous occupation and processes which include mining, inflammable substance and explosives related work and any other hazardous process as per the Factories Act, 1948.[30] In 2001, an estimated 1% of all child workers, or about 1,20,000 children in India were in a hazardous job.[31] Notably, the Constitution of India prohibits child labour in hazardous industries (but not in non-hazardous industries) as a Fundamental Right under Article 24.[32] UNICEF estimates that India with its larger population, has the highest number of labourers in the world under 14 years of age, while sub-Saharan African countries have the highest percentage of children who are deployed as child labourers.[33][34][35] The International Labour Organization estimates that agriculture, at 60 percent, is the largest employer of child labour in the world,[36] while the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates 70% of child labour is deployed in agriculture and related activities.[37] Outside of agriculture, child labour is observed in almost all informal sectors of the Indian economy.[38][39][40]
The presence of a large number of child labourers is regarded as a serious issue in terms of economic welfare. Children who work fail to get necessary education. They do not get the opportunity to develop physically, intellectually, emotionally and psychologically.[41] In terms of the physical condition of children, children are not ready for long monotonous work because they become exhausted more quickly than adults. This reduces their physical conditions and makes the children more vulnerable to disease.[42]
Street children
India has an estimated one hundred thousand or more street children in each of the following cities: New Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai.[43] Mainly because of family conflict, they come to live on the streets and take on the full responsibilities of caring for themselves, including working to provide for and protecting themselves. Though street children do sometimes band together for greater security, they are often exploited by employers and the police.[44][45]
Their many vulnerabilities require specific legislation and attention from the government and other organisations to improve their condition.[46]
Child marriage
Child marriage in India, according to the
Child marriages are prevalent in
Child marriage was outlawed in 1929, under Indian law. However, in the British colonial times, the legal minimum age of marriage was set at 14 for girls and 18 for boys. Under protests from Muslim organizations in the undivided British India, a personal law Shariat Act was passed in 1937 that allowed child marriages with consent from girl's guardian.[52] After independence and adoption of Indian constitution in 1950, the child marriage act has undergone several revisions. The minimum legal age for marriage, since 1978, has been 18 for women and 21 for men. The child marriage prevention laws have been challenged in Indian courts,[52] with some Muslim Indian organizations seeking no minimum age and that the age matter be left to their personal law.[53][54] Child marriage is an active political subject as well as a subject of continuing cases under review in the highest courts of India.[53]
Several states of India have introduced incentives to delay marriages. For example, the state of Haryana introduced the so-called Apni Beti, Apna Dhan program in 1994, which translates to "My daughter, My wealth". It is a conditional cash transfer program dedicated to delaying young marriages by providing a government paid bond in her name, payable to her parents, in the amount of ₹25,000 (US$310), after her 18th birthday if she is not married.[55]
According to UNICEF's "State of the World’s Children-2009" report, 47% of India's women aged 20–24 were married before the legal age of 18, rising to 56% in rural areas.[58] The report also showed that 40% of the world's child marriages occur in India.[59]
Sexual abuse
Laws
Child sexual abuse laws in India have been enacted as part of the child protection policies of India. The Parliament of India passed the 'Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Bill, 2011' regarding child sexual abuse on 22 May 2012 into an Act.[60][61][62] The rules formulated by the government in accordance with the law have also been notified on the November 2012 and the law has become ready for implementation.[63] There have been many calls for more stringent laws.[64][65]
Child trafficking
India has one of the largest population of children in the world - Census data from 2011 shows that India has a population of 472 million children below the age of eighteen.[66][67] Protection of children by the state is guaranteed to Indian citizens by an expansive reading of Article 21[68] of the Indian constitution, and also mandated given India's status as signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
India has a very high volume of
See also
- Childline India
- Children's Day (India)
- Children's Film Society, India
- Ministry of Women and Child Development
- Odisha State Child Protection Society
- Save the Children India
- Youth in Indian politics
Notes
- ^ "Reports of National Health & Family Survey, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, and WHO have highlighted that rates of malnutrition among adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women, and children are alarmingly high in India. Factors responsible for malnutrition in the country include mother’s nutritional status, lactation behaviour, women’s education, and sanitation. These affect children in several ways including stunting, childhood illness, and retarded growth."[22]
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