Uttar Pradesh
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Smt. Sanyukta Bhatia, Mayor of Lucknow encouraged the Girl Champions by flagging off the Uttar Pradesh leg of the Bus Tour
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In a panel discussion, Ruquaiya, Shanti, Pranjali and Shameen, discussed better access to sanitation, menstrual hygiene, sexual and reproductive health rights, initiatives which prevent child marriage and safety
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Upon its arrival in Lucknow, the ‘Ab Meri Baari’ bus journey organised an event to discuss the situation around child marriage, teenage pregnancy, access to proper sexual and reproductive health services in the august presence of Smt. Sanyukta Bhatia, Hon’ble Mayor, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh and Smt. Shruti, Addl. Mission Director, National Health Mission, Uttar Pradesh. Members of civil society organisations, NGOs, students and various other stakeholders were also present at the event.
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"The 'Ab Meri Baari' bus journey and program will provide adolescents in Uttar Pradesh a platform to discuss their experiences, challenges and solutions around priorities areas like Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, Nutrition, Teenage Pregnancy, Child Marriage, among others. I hope young girls in Uttar Pradesh continue to play an active role in bringing about change for the better." |
Dr Udai Pratap, Additional Chief Medical Officer, Rasthriya Kishor Swasth Karaykaram (RKSK) spoke about the importance of preventing early pregnancy, the role of AFHCs, and paying attention to mental health for adolescents in Sitapur
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Local school girls attended the event in Sitapur in support of the Girl Champions' recommendations
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The ‘Ab Meri Baari’ bus journey has arrived in Uttar Pradesh at a crucial time when various government representatives recognize and are calling for action to combat the high rates of teenage pregnancies in the state. While rate of teenage pregnancy stands at 3.8% for Uttar Pradesh, in absolute terms, the state is estimated to have 4.08 lakh cases of teenage pregnancy against 44.67 lakh estimated cases at national level, as per NFHS-4 and Census 2011 data. This implies that every tenth (10th) teenage pregnant girl in India is estimated to be living in UP.
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“In order for girls to make their own informed decisions about marriage, reproduction and their life as a whole, it is essential that they stay in school, are provided adequate information on sexual and reproductive health, and have access to quality services and provisions. These are crucial levers to delaying child marriage, combating early pregnancy, and enabling an empowered and healthy population of girls and young women,” |
Government officials, civil society organizations and NGO leaders present at the event acknowledged some of the recommendations made by the girl champions in Jharkhand as possible areas to consider for Uttar Pradesh. These were:
- Help adolescents understand methods of contraception, counselling services and other medicines available in Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics
- Make Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics available at each block, with clear information on the services provided
- Have more open conversations with adolescents, across all levels, around combating child marriage
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“We have been doing quality implementation of the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karayakaram (RKSK) Program in the Sitapur district. Through our interventions, we have ensured the capacity building of ARSH counsellors, peer educators and also addressed gaps in Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics (AFHCs). The objective is to increase the number of adolescents visiting AFHCs and utilizing the services available there.” |