Social Work Commons^™

Against The Mainstreaming Of The Term Sex Work: Advocacy With India's Supreme Court, Pravin Patkar

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Poverty And Commercial Surrogacy In India: An Intersectional Analytical Approach, Sheela Suryanarayanan

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The destination and source countries for commercial surrogacy match world patterns of inequality. India, Nepal, Thailand, Mexico, and Cambodia banned commercial surrogacy, moving the market to other less-developed countries in South Africa and South America. India had a commercial surrogacy boom until exploitative factors led to the passage of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill in 2019, which banned the practice. This paper examines surrogacy's monetary, health, and emotional effects on 45 surrogate mothers in Gujarat State, India. The study revealed that a majority (63%) of the very poor women remained very poor post-surgery. Surrogate mothers in poor households had to do …

‘They Did Not Have To Burn My Sister Alive’: Causes And Distribution By State Of Dowry Murder In India, Peter Mayer

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Dowry, the money, goods, property, or gifts given by the bride’s family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage, is a common custom in South Asia. Although it is illegal to demand—or offer—a dowry in India, it is a nearly universal custom in many parts of the country. If, after marriage, a husband’s family feels that the wife’s dowry was insufficient, they may harass or inflict other forms of domestic violence on her to put pressure on her family to provide an additional dowry. At its most extreme, this violence may lead to the murder of …

The “Untouchable” Who Touched Millions: Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Navayana Buddhism, And Complexity In Social Work Scholarship On Religion, Siddhesh Mukerji

College of Education and Social Services Faculty Publications

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was a twentieth century socio-political and religious reformer whose activities impacted millions of lives, especially among India’s Dalit community. This article illustrates his lifework and its lessons for social work scholarship on religion. Using the examples of Ambedkar and Navayana Buddhism, I discuss three sources of complexity for social work scholarship on religion: 1) religion may function as both oppressive and emancipatory; 2) religion is malleable, not monolithic; and 3) religion is situated in and interactive with contexts. I conclude with suggestions for how social work scholarship on religion may account for complexity.

A Comparative Assessment Of Climate Change Related Knowledge And Perception Of Coastal And Tribal Community, Kirti K Kalinga, Navaneeta Rath

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Climate change is a global problem with local ramifications. It supposed to impact all nations and states across borders. But the way it is perceived by different stakeholders varies. Perception towards climate change matters because it will shape the way knowledge is framed and risk is calculated. It is also important to examine the knowledge of those people who are affected the most due to climate change. The present paper tries to understand the perception of farmers on climate change. As agriculture is one of the most climate sensitive sectors, it becomes pertinent here to explore are the farmers aware …

Inclusion Of The Economically Backward Students: Scope And Tenet Of Indian School Libraries, Sarthak Chakraborty, Sabuj Kumar Chaudhuri

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study aims to find out how far a school library can contribute in the issue of inclusion of the economically backward class students. Meanwhile the author has opined three major issues: Economical, Psychological and Societal as the reasons behind the school dropouts in India; while theoretical analyses have unveiled that the school library has enough scope and potential to reduce the dropout rate by offering several innovative approaches. Further, the author has investigated the reality and forwarded ten unique approaches (broadly classified into Library beyond school, Increase the reading habit and Empowerment of the student) which could …

Lived Experiences Of Women Facing Domestic Violence In India, Shreya Bhandari, Jennifer C. Hughes

Journal of Social Work in the Global Community

This article describes the lived experiences of domestic violence victims among a convenience sample of 21 low-income Indian women. The experiences of abuse are drawn from in-depth, face-to-face interviews conducted in Mumbai, India. The qualitative analysis describes four major categories of their lived experiences: (a) types of abuse, (b) family involvement in abuse, (c) treatment of children, and (d) abandonment. Domestic violence in Indian culture includes violence from the husband as well as the in-laws. Women are expected to endure violence for fear of bringing shame to their families. Social and financial support for abused woman is lacking.

Examining The Effectiveness Of Community-Based De-Addiction Camps Among Adults With Alcohol Problems In Rural India, Meenal J. Sawant

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

India has reported higher alcohol per capita consumption and problem use in the past. Per the 2005-06 NFHS-3, problem use has been disproportionately high among men, less educated people, those living in rural areas and lower socioeconomic groups. Despite the growing problem, the data available on the effectiveness alcohol treatment services is very limited. The proposed study intends to address this gap by analyzing the treatment outcome (i.e., complete abstinence) among adult users participating in de-addiction camps and the impact of various individual and environmental factors on alcohol use and treatment outcome. Data (N=176) was collected on adult alcohol users …

Child Brides, Brydon Koch, Alexis Steffanni, Carly Catalanello, Michelle Gamberdella

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

The goal of this presentation is to take a look into the human rights violation of child marriage happening in countries all over the world. For the purpose of this presentation, we will focus on four countries where child marriages are extremely prevalent: India, Niger, Bangladesh, and Yemen. First, we will begin with a brief history and background of child brides and statistics related to this population. Second, we will discuss the four countries (as stated above) where this is a major problem, and why the rates of child brides are especially high within each country. Third, we will consider …

Acculturation Stress And Depression Among First-Year International Graduate Students From China And India At The University Of South Carolina, Kyunghee Ma

Theses and Dissertations

This cohort study used a mixed-methods pretest/posttest measurement study design. The quantitative method was used to explore the relationship between acculturation stress and depression among first-year international graduate students from China and India enrolled at the University of South Carolina(UofSC), examine the role that social support plays in that relationship, and identify changes in acculturation, social support, and depression over one academic year. The qualitative method helped to further explore how Chinese and Indian international graduate students experienced acculturation stress and to what extent social support helped them cope with their stress.

The sample included 55 students. Primary data were …

Exploring The Impact Of Mental Health On Infant Growth In Urban West Bengal, India :: A Retrospective Cohort Study Exploring The Association Of Mental Health Status Of Parents With A Deterioration In Weight For Age Z Score (As An Indicator Of Under-Nutrition) Of Children Under The Age Of 4 In A Cohort Living In An Impoverished Urban Community In West Bengal, India, Noah E.C. Levinson

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Underweight malnutrition is considered the underlying contributing factor in 45% of all child deaths worldwide. Employing a retrospective cohort study design, we explored the association of mental illness symptoms of parents with a deterioration in weight for age z score (as an indicator of under-nutrition) of their children under the age of 4 in a cohort living in an impoverished urban community in West Bengal, India. Results, inconsistent with other studies, indicate that the association is not statistically significant among the studied population. The likely explanation is the intensive, multi-faceted nutrition interventions of Calcutta Kids, an organization working for many …

Mental Illness, Poverty And Stigma In India: A Case-Control Study, Jean-Francois Trani, Parul Bakhshi, Jill A. Kuhlberg, Sreelatha S. Narayanan, Hemalatha Venkataraman, Nagendra N. Mishra, Nora E. Groce, Sushrut Jadhav, Smita Deshpande

Brown School Faculty Publications

Objective: To assess the effect of experienced stigma on depth of multidimensional poverty of persons with severe mentalillness(PSMI) in Delhi, India, controlling for gender, age and caste. Design: Matching case(hospital)–control(population) study. Setting:University Hospital (cases) and National Capital Region (controls),India. Participants: A case–control study was conducted from November 2011 to June 2012. 647 cases diagnosed with schizophreniaor affective disorders were recruited and 647 individuals of same age,sex and location of residence were matched as controls at a ratio of 1:2:1. Individuals who refused consent or provided incomplete interview were excluded. Main outcome measures: Higher risk of poverty due to stigma among …

Mental Illness, Poverty And Stigma In India: A Case–Control Study, Jean-Francois Trani, Parul Bakhshi, Jill Kuhlberg, Sreelatha S. Narayanan, Hemalatha Venkataraman, Nagendra N. Mishra, Nora E. Groce, Sushrut Jadhav, Smita Deshpande

Brown School Faculty Publications

Objective: To assess the effect of experienced stigma on depth of multidimensional poverty of persons with severe mental illness (PSMI) in Delhi, India, controlling for gender, age and caste.Design: Matching case (hospital)–control (population) study.Setting: University Hospital (cases) and National Capital Region (controls), India.Participants: A case–control study was conducted from November 2011 to June 2012. 647 cases diagnosed with schizophrenia or affective disorders were recruited and 647 individuals of same age, sex and location of residence were matched as controls at a ratio of 1:2:1. Individuals who refused consent or provided incomplete interview were excluded.Main outcome measures: Higher risk of poverty …

The Effectiveness Of Community-Based Rehabilitation Programmes: An Impact Evaluation Of Quasi-Randomised Trial, Mauro Vincnzo, Mario Biggeri, Sunil Deepak, Jean-Francois Trani

Brown School Faculty Publications

Background Community based rehabilitation (CBR) programs have been described as highly effective means of promoting the rights and opportunities of persons with disabilities (PwD). Although CBR are often the main way in which PwDs in low and middle income countries access rehabilitation services, there is little literature providing rigorous evaluation of their impact on people’s well-being. Methods Data was collected in the Mandya and Ramanagara Districts of Karnataka state, India, between December 2009 and May 2010. 2,540 PwD were identified and interviewed using stratified random sampling: 1,919 CBR beneficiaries (who joined the program between 1997 and 2009) and 621 persons …

Exploring Barriers To Inclusion Of Widowed And Abandoned Women Through Microcredit Self-Help Groups: The Case Of Rural South India, Margaret Lombe, Chrisann Newransky, Karen Kayser, Paul Mike Raj

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Microcredit programs have been applauded as the magic bullet for the poor, especially women with limited financial resources. Building on previous research, this study examines effects of a microcredit self-help group (SHG) program on perceptions of social exclusion among widowed and abandoned women who participated in groups established after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Tamil Nadu, India (N=109). Data were collected on key aspects of the program such as loan amount and investment patterns, group experience, demographics, and perceived barriers to inclusion. Results indicate that investment patterns and group experience impacted the women's perception of barriers to social inclusion. …

Understanding Geographic Variations In Bmi In India, Ravikumar Chockalingham, Ramesh Raghavan, Jyotsna Agrawal, Gyanesh Lama, Hor Yan Angel Lai, Guatam Yadama

Center for Social Development Research

Comparison of Body Mass Index is a useful marker for energy imbalance and associated variations across populations. High BMI is associated with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, whereas low BMI is associated with increased mortality. BMI comparisons across geographical locations may give us indication as to which direction the public health policies should head and what could be the corrective approach towards a more balanced and healthier energy level. The current study uses Indian National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) data for women from 2005-06 to develop state-specific models of BMI and do inter-state comparisons. We also examined the individual versus contextual …

Prevalence, Nature, Context And Impact Of Alcohol Use In India: Recommendations For Practice And Research, S. Prabhu, David A. Patterson Silver Wolf (Adelv Unegv Waya) Phd, Catherine N. Dulmus Phd, K. S. Ratheeshkumar

Brown School Faculty Publications

Presently alcohol policy in India takes a moral stand rather than a scientific approach towards understanding and dealing with the problem of alcoholism. To effectively address this social problem in India, public policy must take into account the nature, extent of the problem and the context in which it occurs. This literature review examines the nature, prevalence and impact of alcohol use and misuse in India, within its historical and cultural contexts, as a beginning step to inform policy. Recommendations for practice and future research directions are suggested.

Voices Of Women In Rural India: Empowerment, Entrepreneurship, And Education, Joanne Riebschleger Ph.D., Lmsw, Brittany Fila Basw

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Women self-help group participants in rural northern India described living with social and economic challenges, including persistent poverty and discrimination. Self-help group participants, teachers, administrators, and parents discussed rural education. Stakeholders talked with a social work student serving an intensive internship in a grassroots non-governmental organization. A grounded theory approach guided data collection, coding, and analysis. Self-help group participant data themes included the empowerment of women and development of entrepreneurship. Education stakeholders revealed a need for increased access to education, especially for girls and young women. Therefore, recommendations centered on “3 E’s” – empowerment, entrepreneurship, and education. American and Indian …