India
Status of Children in India and Efforts to Protect Child Rights
40 % of India’s population is below the age of 18 years and hence it became important to look into the status of these children where the future of the country is depended on. Studies show that less than half of India’s children between the age 6 and 14 go to school; a little over one-third of all children who enroll in grade one reach grade eight; one in every ten children is disabled in India; 95 in every 1000 children born in India do not see their fifth birthday; 70 in every 1000 children born in India do not see their first birthday; 23% of India’s children are underweight at birth; 74% of India’s children below the age of 3 months are anemic; acute respiratory infections are leading causes of child mortality (30%) followed by diarrhea (20%) in India; amongst married women in India today, 75% were under age at the time of their marriages; more that 50% of India’s children are malnourished; while one in every five adolescent boys is malnourished, one in every two girls in India is undernourished. The list goes on.
An eye-opening to the status of children in India! In fact, the aim of this Dossier is to mainstream the methodologies and strategies of various actors who are instrumental in bringing back childhood to those who deprived. Indeed, it is a resource for those who work with children to learn and replicate the methodologies and strategies adopted by different groups in varied circumstances to better solve problems related to children.