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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep): Endline Results—Executive Summary, Population Council
Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep): Endline Results—Executive Summary, Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Adolescent girls in Zambia face a range of risks and vulnerabilities that challenge their healthy development from girls into young women, and they often lack the social, health, and economic assets that are necessary to mitigate these risks. The issues that confront vulnerable girls—high rates of gender-based violence, unsafe sex that puts girls at risk for unwanted pregnancies and HIV infections, school dropout, lack of economic resources and income-generating options, and lack of agency and participation—are interdependent and have similar causes. The vulnerabilities confronting Zambian adolescent girls formed the basis for designing the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP), which 1) …
Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep): Sexual And Gender-Based Violence, Karen Austrian, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Paul C. Hewett
Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep): Sexual And Gender-Based Violence, Karen Austrian, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Paul C. Hewett
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Acceptability and experience of sexual and gender-based violence is alarmingly high among adolescent girls in Zambia. Even more striking is the very young age from which notions of violence are ingrained and experience with violence begins. This brief summarizes the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) evaluation which demonstrated that in the Zambian context, a program focused on changing norms among girls themselves is not enough to impact attitudes toward and experience of violence. Social and cultural norms are shaped by households, schools, communities, and all of the adults that girls interact with in these places—even the mentors of their own …
Enabling Adolescent Boys To Adopt Attitudes That Espouse Gender Equality And Oppose Violence Against Women And Girls: Evidence From Rural Bihar—Policy Brief, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, K.G. Santhya
Enabling Adolescent Boys To Adopt Attitudes That Espouse Gender Equality And Oppose Violence Against Women And Girls: Evidence From Rural Bihar—Policy Brief, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, K.G. Santhya
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
More than a decade after the enactment of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, violence against women and girls remains widespread in India, and patriarchal norms and attitudes continue to underpin gender roles. While programs that focus on empowering women and girls are necessary, they are not sufficient in themselves to prevent violence; men and boys are key players, and violence prevention programs must include them. This brief describes an intervention, the Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) project, implemented among boys and young men ages 13–21 who were members of youth clubs that …
Feasibility Of Screening And Referring Women Experiencing Marital Violence By Engaging Frontline Workers: Evidence From Rural Bihar—Policy Brief, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy
Feasibility Of Screening And Referring Women Experiencing Marital Violence By Engaging Frontline Workers: Evidence From Rural Bihar—Policy Brief, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) project sought to support frontline health workers (FLWs) to screen women for their experience of marital violence, inform women about their options in case of such an experience, and provide basic counseling and referral, as appropriate, to women reporting the experience. The Population Council together with partners, the Centre for Catalyzing Change and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, with support from UKaid, implemented the project in one district (Patna) of Bihar. This brief describes the intervention and presents evidence on its acceptability and feasibility from the perspective …
Adolescent Health: Priorities And Opportunities For Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram, Sapna Desai
Adolescent Health: Priorities And Opportunities For Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram, Sapna Desai
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Government of India in 2014 signaled its commitment to adolescent health through introduction of a national strategy, Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK). Targeting adolescents aged 10–14 and 15–19, the program aims to ensure universal coverage of health information and services for all adolescents—those in and out of school, married or unmarried, and in vulnerable groups. Envisaged as a paradigm shift to address adolescent health beyond sexual and reproductive health, RKSK spans six domains: nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, injuries and violence including gender-based violence, substance misuse, and non-communicable diseases. This policy brief presents evidence on adolescent health …
Characteristics Of Married Adolescent Girls In Egypt [Arabic], Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, May Gadallah, Doaa Oraby
Characteristics Of Married Adolescent Girls In Egypt [Arabic], Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, May Gadallah, Doaa Oraby
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Despite increases in the average age at marriage in Egypt, and laws mandating minimum marriage age, early marriage remains an issue, particularly in rural areas of the country where up to 33 percent of women marry before the age of 18. This brief describes characteristics of married adolescent girls, including health implications of early marriage on pregnancy and childbirth, risk of dangerous complications, and increased exposure to domestic violence.
The Effect Of A Gender Transformative Life Skills Education And Sports-Coaching Programme On The Attitudes And Practices Of Adolescent Boys And Young Men In Bihar, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Rajib Acharya, Neelanjana Pandey, K.G. Santhya, A.J. Francis Zavier, Santosh Kumar Singh, Komal Saxena, Aparajita Gogoi, Madhu Joshi, Sandeep Ojha
The Effect Of A Gender Transformative Life Skills Education And Sports-Coaching Programme On The Attitudes And Practices Of Adolescent Boys And Young Men In Bihar, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Rajib Acharya, Neelanjana Pandey, K.G. Santhya, A.J. Francis Zavier, Santosh Kumar Singh, Komal Saxena, Aparajita Gogoi, Madhu Joshi, Sandeep Ojha
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The importance of starting young to change youths’ attitudes and behaviors—especially of young boys—has been widely acknowledged, but a key challenge has been the limited evidence on the kinds of programs that have succeeded in making such changes. In order to fill this gap, the Population Council, together with partners, the Centre for Catalysing Change and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and with support from UKaid, implemented the Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) project among boys. Implemented in rural areas of Patna district, India this project sought to promote, among adolescent boys and …
Empowering Women And Addressing Marital Violence Through Self-Help Groups: Evidence From Rural Bihar—Policy Brief, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy
Empowering Women And Addressing Marital Violence Through Self-Help Groups: Evidence From Rural Bihar—Policy Brief, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
In recognition of the need to reverse gender disparities, India has instituted numerous policies, laws, and programs intended to empower women and to protect women from violence. However, evidence on what works and what does not work to change notions of masculinity and femininity, reverse the widespread acceptability of marital violence at community level, and reduce women’s experience of intimate partner violence remains limited in the country. The Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) was implemented among married women who were members of self-help groups (SHGs) and their husbands. The Population Council together with partners implemented the …
Modifying Behaviours And Notions Of Masculinity: Effect Of A Programme Led By Locally Elected Representatives, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, A.J. Francis Zavier, K.G. Santhya, Rajib Acharya, Neelanjana Pandey, Santosh Kumar Singh, Komal Saxena, Aparajita Gogoi, Madhu Joshi, Sandeep Ojha
Modifying Behaviours And Notions Of Masculinity: Effect Of A Programme Led By Locally Elected Representatives, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, A.J. Francis Zavier, K.G. Santhya, Rajib Acharya, Neelanjana Pandey, Santosh Kumar Singh, Komal Saxena, Aparajita Gogoi, Madhu Joshi, Sandeep Ojha
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Population Council, together with the Centre for Catalyzing Change and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and with support from UKaid, implemented the Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) program. The project, situated in Patna district, India aimed to orient and engage locally elected leaders—namely, members of Gram Panchayats and Gram Kachehris—in changing community norms relating to the acceptability of violence against women, and preventing violence against women as well as one factor closely associated with the perpetration of such violence, namely alcohol abuse. Specifically, it assessed: 1) the feasibility of sensitizing and training …
Married Adolescent Girls In Rural Assiut And Souhag: Limited Choices And Unfulfilled Reproductive Health Needs, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Doaa Oraby, Omaima El-Gibaly, Manal Darwish, Mirette Aziz, Amira Elgazzar, Heba Mahmoud
Married Adolescent Girls In Rural Assiut And Souhag: Limited Choices And Unfulfilled Reproductive Health Needs, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Doaa Oraby, Omaima El-Gibaly, Manal Darwish, Mirette Aziz, Amira Elgazzar, Heba Mahmoud
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
According to the Survey of Young People in Egypt 2014, a significant proportion of young women residing in rural Upper Egypt were reported to be married before 18. Early marriage deprives a girl of education and employment opportunities and places her at risk of early and repeat pregnancy, gender-based violence, and sexually transmitted infections. The present study examines the sexual and reproductive health needs of married adolescent girls (MAGs) in rural Upper Egypt and identifies key contextual and cognitive factors that could mitigate or exacerbate the effects of early marriage on their sexual and reproductive health. The report finds that …
Feasibility Of Screening And Referring Women Experiencing Marital Violence By Engaging Frontline Workers: Evidence From Rural Bihar, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, K.G. Santhya, Santosh Kumar Singh, A.J. Francis Zavier, Neelanjana Pandey, Rajib Acharya, Komal Saxena, Aparajita Gogoi, Madhu Joshi, Sandeep Ojha
Feasibility Of Screening And Referring Women Experiencing Marital Violence By Engaging Frontline Workers: Evidence From Rural Bihar, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, K.G. Santhya, Santosh Kumar Singh, A.J. Francis Zavier, Neelanjana Pandey, Rajib Acharya, Komal Saxena, Aparajita Gogoi, Madhu Joshi, Sandeep Ojha
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Population Council, together with partners, the Centre for Catalyzing Change, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, with support from UKaid, implemented the Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) project in rural areas of Patna district in Bihar, India. The project engaged frontline workers (FLWs) to screen women for their experience of marital violence, inform them about their options in case of such an experience, and provide basic counseling and referral to women reporting the experience. Overall, the findings from the implementation of the Do Kadam program have been encouraging. They suggest that interactions …
Reducing Violence Against Women And Girls In India: Lessons From The Do Kadam Programme, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy
Reducing Violence Against Women And Girls In India: Lessons From The Do Kadam Programme, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
A key challenge underlying the gap between policy and program commitments in India and the reality of women’s lives is the dearth of evidence on what works and what does not work to change notions of masculinity and femininity, reverse norms at the community level that condone marital violence, and reduce women’s experience of intimate partner violence. The Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) program aimed to fill this evidence gap. Do Kadam was implemented by the Population Council, the Centre for Catalyzing Change, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, with support from the …
The Effects Of School Violence On Education In Malawi, Stephanie Psaki, Barbara Mensch, Erica Soler-Hampejsek
The Effects Of School Violence On Education In Malawi, Stephanie Psaki, Barbara Mensch, Erica Soler-Hampejsek
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
In response to a global policy effort to increase school enrollment, in 1994 Malawi became one of the first low-income countries to eliminate primary school fees. Since then, Malawi has achieved nearly universal primary enrollment, however enrolling young Malawians in school has not translated into keeping them in school. This policy brief describes the nature and consequences of school violence in rural Malawi—a common experience for both girls and boys. There is little evidence that school violence disrupts schooling as expected, with the exception of sexual violence experienced at school by boys. Violence at home is also common, and may …
Training Locally Elected Representatives To Act As Change Agents To Promote Egalitarian Gender Norms: Lessons Learned From The Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore Programme—Policy Brief, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy
Training Locally Elected Representatives To Act As Change Agents To Promote Egalitarian Gender Norms: Lessons Learned From The Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore Programme—Policy Brief, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This policy brief describes an intervention, the Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) project in Patna district, India that sought to train locally elected representatives to act as change agents to promote egalitarian gender norms among men and women in their communities, and the effects of exposure to the project among members of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs, local self-governance bodies) and men and women from the community. The project was undertaken by the Population Council, together with partners, the Centre for Catalysing Change and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and with support from …
Youth And Domestic Violence [Arabic], Population Council
Youth And Domestic Violence [Arabic], Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
[In Arabic] Women in Egypt, like most women in the world, are exposed to domestic violence—physical, verbal, and emotional—which has many social, economic, and psychological effects. These effects are felt not only by the women, but also by their families and society as a whole, ultimately affecting the national economy. This brief reports on results from the 2014 Demographic and Health Survey which found that there is still widespread tolerance of domestic violence among the population. Key findings include: education can influence young girls’ attitudes toward violence (high school–educated girls are more likely to reject violence); early marriage may be …
Empowering Women And Addressing Violence Against Them Through Self-Help Groups (Shgs), Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, K.G. Santhya, Rajib Acharya, A.J. Francis Zavier, Neelanjana Pandey, Santosh Kumar Singh, Komal Saxena, Shilpi Rampal, Sharmistha Basu, Aparajita Gogoi, Madhu Joshi, Sandeep Ojha
Empowering Women And Addressing Violence Against Them Through Self-Help Groups (Shgs), Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, K.G. Santhya, Rajib Acharya, A.J. Francis Zavier, Neelanjana Pandey, Santosh Kumar Singh, Komal Saxena, Shilpi Rampal, Sharmistha Basu, Aparajita Gogoi, Madhu Joshi, Sandeep Ojha
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This report details results of a program implemented by the Population Council, together with the Centre for Catalyzing Change and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine: Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality). The primary objective of the program was to test whether strengthening existing village-level self-help groups (SHGs); orienting members on violence against women and girls, and supporting them in prevention activities; and helping women who experience violence had changed their gender-role attitudes and reduced the experience of marital violence. On the whole, findings show that the program was acceptable and effective in many ways. …
Sexual And Gender-Based Violence: Baseline Findings, Population Council
Sexual And Gender-Based Violence: Baseline Findings, Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) is a program for girls ages 10-19 in rural and urban Zambia that aims to find the best ways to improve their social, health, and economic resources. Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a pervasive global health problem. Women and girls are most at risk, and consequences include physical injury, psychological trauma, unwanted pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The AGEP program involves over 10,000 girls participating in weekly girls’ group meetings, receiving health vouchers and opening savings accounts. Over 5,000 girls, unmarried at baseline, are enrolled in a randomized, controlled trial and …
Trafficking Of Minor Girls For Commercial Sexual Exploitation In India: A Synthesis Of Available Evidence, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Sharmistha Basu
Trafficking Of Minor Girls For Commercial Sexual Exploitation In India: A Synthesis Of Available Evidence, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Sharmistha Basu
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Understanding factors that place minor girls at risk of being trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) and the consequences of trafficking for their health and life-course trajectories is limited by the scattered evidence available on these issues. The role of various stakeholders in trafficking, namely, families, traffickers, and brothel owners, and the role of law enforcement agencies in preventing it are also poorly understood. Further, adequate data consolidating the responses of government and nongovernmental organizations to issues related to CSE of minor girls are lacking. There is a need, therefore, to consolidate this scattered body of evidence and to identify …
Addressing Sexual And Gender-Based Violence (Sgbv) Against Adolescent Girls, Sajeda Amin, Althea D. Anderson
Addressing Sexual And Gender-Based Violence (Sgbv) Against Adolescent Girls, Sajeda Amin, Althea D. Anderson
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Population Council’s extensive work on adolescent safe spaces and livelihoods programs has demonstrated the pathways of empowering adolescent girls and the substantial benefits for society. Monitoring and evaluation data from these initiatives have produced empirical evidence about threats to girls’ health and well-being that relate to both longstanding and emergent social forces. In developing countries, where the risk of adverse sexual and reproductive health outcomes is high and young girls are at high risk, it is important to address issues related to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and gender norms that relate to these risks. The Council’s work with …
La Atención Y Prevención De La Violencia En Contra De La Mujer En Guatemala: Directorio De Servicios, Diana Del Castillo, Elvia Raquec
La Atención Y Prevención De La Violencia En Contra De La Mujer En Guatemala: Directorio De Servicios, Diana Del Castillo, Elvia Raquec
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
La violencia contra la mujer es un grave problema de salud pública, constituye una violación de los derechos humanos y es una manifestación de extrema inequidad de género dentro de una sociedad. El problema de violencia en contra de la mujer en Guatemala es uno de los más severos en Latinoamérica. La mayoría de las víctimas son mujeres pobres de áreas rurales, jóvenes, con edades entre los 13 y 30 años. Este Directorio de proveedores de servicios y recursos para la atención y prevención de la violencia en contra de las niñas, adolescentes y mujeres se realizó como parte del …
Protecting Young People From Sex Without Consent, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy
Protecting Young People From Sex Without Consent, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Over the last decade, a growing body of evidence has laid to rest any illusion that the young are protected from unwanted sexual advances or forced sex both within and outside of marriage. Studies have established the prevalence of unwanted sex within marriage among young women and its risk factors; the association between poverty and forced sex among adolescent girls in South Africa; levels and correlates of forced sex reported by young people in Ethiopia and Kenya. Evidence has established that sex without consent among the young exists in every region of the world, and that girls, as well as …
Violence Within Marriage Among Young People In Tamil Nadu, International Institute For Population Sciences (Iips), Population Council
Violence Within Marriage Among Young People In Tamil Nadu, International Institute For Population Sciences (Iips), Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Global attention to violence against women has increased significantly over the last decade. The recent United Nations General Assembly resolution called upon member states to intensify their efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women. In India, policies and programs have increasingly focused on preventing violence against women and supporting women who experience such violence. While several studies in India have highlighted the widespread prevalence of physical and sexual violence within marriage, little is known about violence within marriage among young people and the health consequences of those experiences for young women. This policy brief documents the perceptions of …