Digital Commons Network^™

Assessment Of Overseas Labor Migration Systems In Bangladesh, Sigma Ainul, Eashita Haque, K.G. Santhya, Ubaidur Rob

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Bangladesh is a significant labor-sending country, with about 7.8 million Bangladeshis working abroad. Major destinations for migrant workers are the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Female migrants represent 12 percent of the migration flow, with a majority engaged as domestic workers. Migration to GCC countries is characterized by short-term temporary migration, migration of low- and semi-skilled workers, laborers with low literacy level, debt-financed migration, and often migration through unofficial channels. The overseas labor recruitment industry often leaves migrants susceptible to human trafficking, forced labor, and modern slavery. Also, many migrants return empty-handed and with huge debt. The Population Council in …

Getting Girls Back To School During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Kenya: Lessons From The 4ts Initiative, George Odwe, Chi-Chi Undie

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

No abstract provided.

Gendered Effects Of Covid-19 School Closures: Bangladesh Case Study, Eashita Haque, Natalie Wyss, Emily Eunyoung Cho, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief summarizes a recent study on the impacts of COVID-19 school closures in rural communities in Bangladesh. It clarifies issues of remote learning access, management, and monitoring, as well as new strains on students’ time use. It also reveals general impacts on mental and physical health, economic status, as well as gendered effects including child marriage. Based on evaluations of mitigation measures, recommendations for comprehensive policies, provision of technical, financial, and social support, and improvements in education systems emerged.

Gendered Effects Of Covid-19 School Closures: India Case Study, Neelanjana Pandey, Emily Eunyoung Cho, Shilpi Rampal, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief summarizes a case study that assessed the gendered impact of COVID-19 school closures on education, health, well-being, and protection of adolescents in India. Based on surveys and interviews in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, findings point to the digital divide for girls as well as shared barriers to effective remote learning. Informed by the evidence, the study presents recommendations to scale up efforts to improve remote learning, reduce digital divide and strengthen teacher support, with a particular attention to addressing gendered differences.

Gendered Effects Of Covid-19 School Closures: Pakistan Case Study, Iram Kamran, Tahira Parveen, Rehan M. Niazi, Maqsood Sadiq, Fatima Azeem, Emily Eunyoung Cho, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief summarizes a case study conducted to assess the gendered impacts of COVID-19 school closures on adolescent girls and boys in three districts in the province of Punjab in Pakistan. Data as well as discussions and interviews with adolescents, teachers, and parents shed light on difficulties in accessing and adjusting to remote learning, learning loss, deterioration of behaviors and health, and other effects. Based on these findings and further reflections by stakeholders on the successes and gaps of mitigation measures, the case study proposes recommendations for improved teacher training, digital access, alternative learning options, and a gendered focus in …

Gendered Effects Of Covid-19 School Closures: Kenya Case Study, Faith Mbushi, Natalie Wyss, Emily Eunyoung Cho, Karen Austrian, Eva Ireri Muluve, Laura Muthoni, Beth Kangwana

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief summarizes a case study that assessed the gendered impact of COVID-19 school closures in Kenya. COVID-19 school closures escalated education inequalities especially for girls and young people in rural areas. These closures exacerbated adolescent mental health issues, food and economic insecurity, and experiences of violence. COVID-19 response programs implemented by both the Government of Kenya and non-state actors were not able to fully mitigate the impacts of school closures for adolescents, teachers, or schools. Continued efforts to understand the implications of school closures and to support vulnerable students are needed.

Keeping Girls In Schools To Reduce Child Marriage In Rural Bangladesh: Endline Assessment, Sigma Ainul, Forhana Rahman Noor, Md. Irfan Hossain, Iqbal Ehsan, Mehnaz Manzur, Ubaidur Rob, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report describes findings of changes over time attributable to the “Keeping Girls in Schools” study in Bangladesh that implemented skill-building activities for a two-year period in the districts of Chapainawabganj, Kushtia, and Sherpur. The project sought to bring about change in child marriage norms prevalent in the area by offering young girls a safe place to meet after school hours with mentors and teachers and to offer girls tutoring support and life-skills. The project was implemented by the Population Council with the cooperation of secondary schools in the community and was supported by UNICEF under the aegis of the …

Impacto Multidimensional De La Pandemia En Las Juventudes Indígenas De Yucatán, Silvana Larrea-Schiavon, Suhayla Bazbaz, Fabiola Romero-Gamboa, Isabel Vieitez Martínez

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

A pesar de que cada día se cuenta con más evidencia sobre el impacto de esta pandemia en las juventudes de México y el mundo, entender las múltiples dimensiones que afectan la vida de poblaciones específicas, como es la indígena, es prioritario para poder orientar y redirigir medidas y acciones institucionales para atender sus necesidades y garantizar sus derechos. Por ello, además de incorporar técnicas participativas con las juventudes indígenas, el estudio también incluye un mapeo de decisiones y medidas que el gobierno de Yucatán tomó durante 2021 para hacer frente a la emergencia sanitaria y reactivar la economía del …

Role Of Debt In Overseas Labour Migration In India, K.G. Santhya, Snigdha Banerjee, Basant Kumar Panda, A.J. Francis Zavier, Avishek Hazra, Shilpi Rampal

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Population Council, in partnership with the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, undertook a multicomponent study to better understand the relationship between debt and overseas labor migration from India. The study shed light on: levels and patterns of household indebtedness among migrant households, with a special focus on households with overseas migrants; cost of overseas labor migration from India and the role of debt in financing overseas migration; role of debt in migration-related decisions; differences in work-related choices and experiences and financial vulnerabilities migrant workers experienced by household indebtedness; and migrant workers’ …

Addressing Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Women And Children Through Prevention And Reintegration Approaches: Lessons From Bangladesh And India, K.G. Santhya, Sigma Ainul, Snigdha Banerjee, Avishek Hazra, Eashita Haque, Basant Kumar Panda, A.J. Francis Zavier, Shilpi Rampal

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Global Estimates of Modern Slavery report of 2021 stated that 6.3 million people were in situations of forced commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) on any given day worldwide. Asia and the Pacific region (which includes South Asia) were host to more than half of the global total of forced labor, including those in CSE. Bangladesh is one of the three main countries of origin for trafficked persons in South Asia. India has been identified as a source, destination, and transit location for trafficking of forced labor, including CSE. Though governments in both countries have made commitments to prevent and combat …

Ethical Recruitment And Employment In The Construction Industry In India: Perspectives And Experiences Of Workers And Micro-Contractors, K.G. Santhya, A.J. Francis Zavier, Snigdha Banerjee, Shilpi Rampal

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In India, the construction industry is the second-largest employer, with 51 million workers currently employed. Contracting and subcontracting has contributed to the rise of intermediary labor contractors, who provide migrants with information about labor markets and bring them to construction sites for work. Engagement in physically demanding low-skill jobs, low wages, harsh working conditions, and often deplorable living arrangements characterize the lives of many migrant construction workers. The Population Council, in partnership with the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, undertook a qualitative study to explore the nature of the labor supply chain …

Promoting Safe Overseas Labour Migration: Lessons From Ask’S Safe Migration Project In India, K.G. Santhya, A.J. Francis Zavier, Shilpi Rampal, Avishek Hazra

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

More than a quarter of all overseas Indians resided in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in 2020. Migration to Gulf countries is dominated by unskilled and semi-skilled workers who work on a contract basis and who must return home once their contract expires. The Indian government has introduced measures to promote safe overseas migration for work, but labor exploitations in the India-GCC migration corridors are widely documented. The Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS) in partnership with the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) supported the Association for Stimulating Know-how (ASK) in pilot-testing a project to build a safe …

Mujeres Migrantes En Tapachula: Barreras Y Facilitadores Para El Acceso A La Salud Sexual Y Reproductiva En 2020—Informe De La Investigación, Lucía Vázquez Quesada, Silvana Larrea-Schiavon, Tania T. Marin, Graciela B. Muñoz García, Esperanza Basurto-Alcalde, Beatriz Ochoa, Betzaide Cortés-Maruris, Vanessa Sosa, Enrique Martínez, Nancy Lombardini, Chiara Santoro, Mauricio Guillermo, Karla Berdichevsky, Isabel Vieitez Martínez

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

A través de la mirada de mujeres migrantes, organizaciones de la sociedad civil y organismos internacionales, así como de trabajadores de la salud, el estudio muestra las barreras y facilitadores para la atención de la salud sexual y reproductiva de mujeres migrantes en esta ciudad fronteriza del sur de México.

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Through the viewpoints of migrant women, civil society organizations and international agencies, as well as through the views of healthcare workers, this study shows the barriers and enablers to access sexual and reproductive healthcare among migrant women in the southern border frontier Mexico.

Economic Opportunities For Refugees: Lessons From Five Host Countries, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Abdullah Al Mahmud Shohag, Eashita Haque, Md. Irfan Hossain, Joseph Falcone, Ubaidur Rob

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The majority of refugees around the world are in protracted refugee situations, living in exile for at least five years with no sign of a durable solution. There are three possible durable solutions: repatriation, local integration, and resettlement. Repatriation remains the main durable solution, but the circumstances should be conducive for return to the country of origin. In the meantime, local integration gives refugees some certainty about what to do with their lives. Local integration is a process with three interrelated dimensions: legal, economic, and social. This report examines the level and extent of local integration of refugees in terms …

Mujeres Migrantes En Tapachula, Mexico: Barreras Y Facilitadores Para El Acceso A La Salud Sexual Y Reproductiva En 2020—Resumen De La Investigación, Lucía Vázquez Quesada, Silvana Larrea-Schiavon, Tania T. Marin, Graciela B. Muñoz García, Esperanza Basurto-Alcalde, Beatriz Ochoa, Betzaide Cortés-Maruris, Vanessa Sosa, Enrique Martínez, Nancy Lombardini, Chiara Santoro, Mauricio Guillermo, Karla Berdichevsky, Isabel Vieitez Martínez

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

A través de la mirada de mujeres migrantes, organizaciones de la sociedad civil y organismos internacionales, así como de trabajadores de la salud, el estudio muestra las barreras y facilitadores para la atención de la salud sexual y reproductiva de mujeres migrantes en esta ciudad fronteriza del sur de México.

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Through the viewpoints of migrant women, civil society organizations and international agencies, as well as through the views of healthcare workers, this study shows the barriers and enablers to access sexual and reproductive healthcare among migrant women in the southern border frontier Mexico.

Evidence-Informed Planning And Action In Central Asia: Learnings From The Tajikistan Adolescent Wellbeing And Health Pilot Project, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To address adolescent health and wellbeing in Tajikistan, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and Population Council used a hybrid human-centered (HCD) and evidence-based program design to engage adolescent girls, boys, and caregivers in a guided process of defining key issues and program areas. The design informed the development of a first-of-its-kind program model for AKF and in Tajikistan: coordinated community-based groups for adolescent girls and boys, caregivers' groups, and an institutional stakeholder community of practice in Tajikistan. Design and implementation experiences established "proof of concept" as a basis to expand the approach across the country and region. The pilot generated …

Learning Loss Among Adolescent Girls During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Rural Bangladesh, Sajeda Amin, Md. Irfan Hossain, Sigma Ainul

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Poor learning remains a central challenge in Bangladesh despite considerable progress in advancing schooling access and reducing gender gaps in education. The learning crisis is feared to have been exacerbated during extended school closures and limited alternative opportunities for schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief summarizes findings on learning loss among adolescent girls during the pandemic in rural Bangladesh.

Findings From The Violence Outcomes In Covid-19 Era Study (Voces-19): Baseline Results, Silvana Larrea-Schiavon, Lina López-Lalinde, Isabel Vieitez Martínez, Ricardo Regules, Juan Pablo Gutiérrez, René Nevárez, Cristina Macgregor, Pablo López, Nicole Haberland, Thoai Ngo

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report presents findings from the baseline survey of the Violence Outcomes in COVID-19 Era Study (VOCES-19). The study, conducted by Population Council Mexico in collaboration with the National Institute of Youth and the National Center for Gender Equity and Reproductive Health aims to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying mitigation measures on the experience and perception of violence among 15–24-year-olds living in Mexico, as well as its effects on other social, economic, and health, related outcomes. The primary objectives for this first survey round were to gather baseline information on several outcomes of interest, assess differential …

Necesidades Y Atención En Salud Sexual Y Reproductiva De Mujeres Migrantes En México: Un Estudio Desde Ciudad Juárez—Volumen 1, Lucía Vázquez Quesada, Jesús Peña, Isabel Vieitez Martínez

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

El estudio retoma las voces de mujeres migrantes en la frontera norte de México (Ciudad Juárez) y explora sus diversas necesidades de salud sexual y reproductiva durante el tránsito por este país. Retoma experiencias de preparación para el viaje migratorio y acceso a la atención durante su estancia en Ciudad Juárez. El reporte presenta por separado los resultados descriptivos de los componentes del estudio: cuantitativo y cualitativo. Se planea realizar un análisis más profundo de estos datos en el futuro próximo.

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Elevating the voices of migrant women in the northern border of Mexico (Ciudad Juárez), the study explores the …

Resultados Del Estudio Sobre Violencia En La Era Covid-19 (Voces-19): Línea Base Reporte, Silvana Larrea-Schiavon, Lina López-Lalinde, Isabel Vieitez Martínez, Ricardo Regules, Juan Pablo Gutiérrez, René Nevárez, Cristina Macgregor, Pablo López, Nicole Haberland, Thoai Ngo

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Este informe presenta los resultados de la encuesta basal del estudio VOCES-19. El estudio, realizado por el Population Council México en colaboración con el Instituto Nacional de la Juventud y el Centro Nacional de Equidad de Género y Salud Reproductiva, tiene como objetivo comprender el impacto de la pandemia de COVID-19 y las medidas de mitigación que la acompañan en la experiencia y la percepción de la violencia entre las y los jóvenes de 15 a 24 años que viven en México, así como otros impactos sociales, económicos y relacionados con la salud. Los objetivos principales de esta primera ronda …

Necesidades Y Atención En Salud Sexual Y Reproductiva De Mujeres Migrantes En México: Un Estudio Desde Ciudad Juárez—Volumen 2, Lucía Vázquez Quesada, Jesús Peña, Isabel Vieitez Martínez

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

El estudio retoma las voces de mujeres migrantes en la frontera norte de México (Ciudad Juárez) y explora sus diversas necesidades de salud sexual y reproductiva durante el tránsito por este país. Retoma experiencias de preparación para el viaje migratorio y acceso a la atención durante su estancia en Ciudad Juárez. El reporte presenta por separado los resultados descriptivos de los componentes del estudio: cuantitativo y cualitativo. Se planea realizar un análisis más profundo de estos datos en el futuro próximo.

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Elevating the voices of migrant women in the northern border of Mexico (Ciudad Juárez), the study explores the …

Conceptual Framework Of The Drivers Of Child Marriage: A Tool To Guide Programs And Policies, Stephanie Psaki, Andrea J. Melnikas, Eashita Haque, Grace Saul, Christina Misunas, Sangram Kishor Patel, Thoai Ngo, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief presents a simplified framework to provide key entry points for understanding which drivers of child marriage may be most important in particular contexts. Decision-makers such as researchers, donors, and program practitioners can use the framework to help design programs and policies tailored to these contexts.

Harnessing Data To End Child Marriage: Summarizing Learnings To-Date, Stephanie Psaki, Momoe Makino, Christina Misunas, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Fatima Zahra

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief summarizes key findings from five papers that examine child marriage and interventions to address it. While the findings from each of the papers are briefly noted, the brief focuses on the importance of context in understanding the drivers and impact on child marriage. Based on key findings, the brief offers cross-cutting recommendations for research and programs.

Adolescent Girls And Covid-19: Mapping The Evidence On Interventions, Sarah Blake, Miriam Temin, Tara Abularrage, Nihal Said

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

With the COVID-19 crisis continuing to evolve, evidence on the effectiveness of short-term emergency-oriented responses and long-term mitigation strategies is expanding but still limited. There are, and will continue to be, substantial evidence gaps on programming to address risk across outcomes of importance to adolescent girls. More evidence is needed to slow the risks posed by the pandemic for this subpopulation, which can help guide gender- and age-responsive prevention and impact mitigation investments. Evidence from approaches delivered in other unstable contexts may offer important lessons for decision-making in the current context. Recognizing this, the Population Council conducted a structured review …

Insights Collection: Natural Disasters And Humanitarian Settings, Nannette Beckley, Anne-Caroline Midy, Danielle Richard, Lauren R. Rutherford

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Population Council interns Nannette Beckley, Anne-Caroline Midy, Danielle Richard, and Lauren Rutherford curated a selection of Council-led publications that highlight the ways in which various natural disasters result in or contribute to the proliferation of humanitarian settings.

Getting Girls Back To School In Kenya: The 4ts ('Trace, Track, Talk And Return') Initiative Implementation Report, George Odwe, Chi-Chi Undie, Ann Gachoya, Truphena Kirongo, Fredrick Kiiru, Jane Njogu

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Covid-19 pandemic led to devastating economic and social disruptions globally including in the education sector. The pandemic disrupted access to both sexual and reproductive health services and safe spaces. As a result, many girls faced vulnerabilities that inhibited access to basic education, including risks of child marriage, early pregnancy, gender-based violence, female genital mutilation/cutting, sexual exploitation, and child labor. The negative impact of Covid-19 on girls' education underscores the need for interventions addressing the effect on school re-entry and retention. Kenya has a favorable policy environment for supporting retention within, and re-entry into, schools for vulnerable girls. Notable core …

Advancing Girls' Education In Light Of Covid-19 In East Africa: A Synthesis Report, Population Council, Regional Education Learning Initiative, Mannion Daniels

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

More than a billion students around the world have been affected by school closures in the past year and a half (March 2020 to August 2021) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The persistence of the pandemic and the severity of the risks posed by the disruption of education necessitate a strong understanding of the present state of girls’ education in East Africa. This study aimed to understand the current problems posed by COVID-19 for girls’ education in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda; identify the gaps in understanding with regard to these problems; and illuminate solutions. The study is based on a …

Impact Of Community-Based Girl Groups, Miriam Temin, Craig Heck

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Programs increasingly use community-based girl groups (CBGGs) to address risks and empower adolescent girls, but evidence on their impact is not always accessible to decision makers. A closer look at 30 CBGG programs in low- and middle-income countries found that CBGGs had the greatest reported success in improving health and gender attitudes and beliefs, while their effect on health behavior and status is mixed. Program implementers should consider CBGGs as a way to facilitate girls’ empowerment, with complementary measures to engage community members and to promote enabling environments for greater program impact. Increased interest and investment in CBGGs should be …

More Than Brides Alliance—Marriage: No Child’S Play, Endline Evaluation Brief, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief summarizes key results from the endline evaluation of the More than Brides Alliance (MTBA) project “Marriage: No Child’s Play” (MNCP) in India, Malawi, Mali, and Niger. The MTBA consists of partners Save the Children Netherlands, Simavi, Oxfam Novib, and the Population Council, along with 25 local implementing partners. The MNCP project—which took place from 2016 to 2020—aimed at being holistic and targeting pathways to child marriage on multiple levels simultaneously, treating communities as either having the full MNCP package or no intervention. The Population Council’s MNCP evaluation was designed to estimate program impact and trends among girls at …

Vamos A Replicar La Vida: Manual De Huertos Familiares Para Mentoras Del Programa Abriendo Oportunidades, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Las mentoras empiezan un camino de siete sesiones en el que guian a muchas niñas hacia el conocimiento, la soberanía alimentaria y el porvenir. Además de enseñarles a realizar un huerto familiar, las niñas aprenderán a preguntar en su comunidad, a imaginar lo que serán en el futuro y a hablar con la tierra. Esta pequeña guía ayudará a llevar mejor las sesiones. Todos sus contenidos serán ampliados y reforzados a través de materiales complementarios: canciones, textos e imágenes para compartir con el grupo.

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Mentors begin a path of seven sessions in which they guide many girls toward knowledge, …