Negative forms of disciplinary practices by parents in terms of physical punishment has reduced from 77% to 58% in the slums of Dharavi, Govandi and Mankhurd, reveals the latest prevention of violence against children survey report by Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action (SNEHA). The non-profit organisation released three reports on maternal and child health, adolescent health as well as children’s safety.
On Friday, SNEHA released its program endline reports concerning their findings related to key social issues. This includes issues such as maternal and child health, adolescent health and wellbeing as well as ensuring safety and protection among children. These reports, titled EHSAS (Empowerment, Health & Sexuality of Adolescents) Endline Report, PVC (Prevention of Violence against Children) Endline Survey Report and Maternal & Child Health intervention evaluation Survey.
Details In The SNEHA Report
The PVC Ensline Survey Report (2022-2024) revealed that the negative forms of disciplinary practices by parents in terms of physical punishment such as hitting on hands, legs and arms have reduced from 77% to 58%. Communication between parents and child in terms of understanding worries and concerns of children improved from 62% to 77%, while psychological aggression in terms of yelling or shouting remained the same at 88% during the project cycle.
The SNEHA Maternal and Child health intervention evaluation Survey (2021-24) revealed that stunting, a form of malnutrition indicating height as per the age of the child, in children under five years reduced from 34% to 30% and appropriate initiation of complementary feeding among children improved from 60% to 77%. While maternal anaemia among pregnant women reduced from 43% to 39%, full immunization of children increased from 77% to 82% and dietary diversity in children aged 6 to 23 months increased from 24% to 35%.
EHSAS Report Shows Dramatic Increase in Menstrual Hygiene and Sexual Health Knowledge Among Adolescent Girls
The EHSAS Endline Report (2021-23) highlighted that 99% of adolescent girls were using hygienic methods of menstrual protection and 98% used soap and water to clean themselves during their periods at endline. Adolescents demonstrating moderate to high levels of knowledge about sexual and reproductive health improved from 16% to 84% while knowledge about anaemia improved from 20% to 79% during the project cycle.
Vanessa D’Souza, CEO, SNEHA said, “We have worked relentlessly to help vulnerable urban communities improve their health and safety. Our report findings not only represent the concerns of the communities living in Mumbai, but they also highlight similar issues that communities across the country face.”
SNEHA Marks 25th Anniversary with Launch of Knowledge Centre to Collaborate with NGOs and Institutes Nationwide
As a part of SNEHA’s 25th year anniversary celebrations, the NGO also announced the launch of its Knowledge Centre. This new initiative will focus on sharing SNEHA’s collective knowledge and experiences with organisations across India. The NGO will be launching the new Centre in 3 phases and will partner with NGOs, government and academic institutes across Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and New Delhi.
While in the first phase, the NGO has launched the Centre’s website, in the upcoming phases, the NGO will also be launching SNEHA’s Academy along with certified courses. As part of the Academy, SNEHA’s team will be training and conducting workshops for staff of other NGOs and government bodies, sharing their own experiences over the past two decades.
“We have received several queries from NGOs and institutes across India over the past decade for solutions they can implement. It is this need and knowledge gap that led us to launch the SNEHA Knowledge Centre. We believe that our experience and learning can help other NGO’s and Government bodies tackle these protracted and complex issues of health and safety for women and children,” said D’Souza.
