Unicef says 30% of Indian girls get married before 19
The report — State of the World’s Children — puts India in an embarrassing position as it claims the country has most underweight adolescent girls in the world.
Three of five women in India are still married off as adolescents, United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has claimed.
In a report on adolescent health released on Friday, Unicef said about 30% of girls aged 15-19 are in union or married compared to 5% of boys.
This, it said, led to serious health issues. The problem is severe in rural areas where almost 56% of girls are married off early as against 29% in cities.
The report — State of the World’s Children — puts India in an embarrassing position as it claims the country has most underweight adolescent girls in the world.
India is home to 20% of the world’s adolescent population, but its health and education record is poor. Almost 47% (the highest in the world) of girls in the 11 to 19 age group are underweight. In fact, 56% of girls and 30% of boys in this age group are anaemic. Around 25% (243 million) of Indians belong to the 11-19 age group. Of these, almost 40% are out of school and 43% get married before 18. Of the 43%, 13% become teenage mothers. School attendance in the 11-13 and 14-17 age groups is 86% and 64%.
On trends the survey says while cigarette smoking is a common addiction, many adolescents are willing to experiment with alcohol and drugs as well. They are engaging is sexual relationships very early. In developing countries, excluding China, around 11% of girls and 6% of boys aged 15-19 claimed to have had sex before 15.