Girls in cities recommend bold and concrete action in new study

DELHI, India - April 13, 2021 - PRLog -- A new study released today reveals girls' perspectives on how their lives have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic hit and presents their recommendations for actions the government, city planners, corporates, and others should take. Pressure to marry early, increased chores, depression, and limited access to education and work opportunities are among the major challenges they report.

The study was carried out by a group of 25 girls from 7 cities: Ahmedabad, Alwar, Bareily, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune. Supported by the UK Government (in India) and conducted by EMpower—The Emerging Markets Foundation, the study adopted a unique methodology that trained girls as researchers to conduct interviews with 153 girls from their communities. "We believe that girls are experts in their lives and they can not only lift up the realities of the pandemic, but they are best placed to advise us about how to re-build post pandemic." said Dr. Nisha Dhawan, Country Director of EMpower..

All girls who were interviewed from Alwar—a district of Rajasthan where the child sex ratio dropped from 887 in 2001 to 865 in 2011—reported an increased pressure to get married and 5 out of 6 girls reported some form of mental health distress. Nearly all of the girls who believed there was an increase in gender-based violence during the lockdown were from two cities alone: Lucknow and Alwar.

Seema Dosad, a member of EMpower's Girls Advisory Council said: "Before, girls were used to facing the "usual problems," but COVID created some "new problems" that the girls weren't even aware of. I'm not sure if previous days were [actually] better or if we were just blindfolded by the fact that we were used to those issues."

Amongst the biggest barriers girls currently face is accessing education and adapting to online learning. A staggering 90% of girls and young women reported mental health issues during COVID, ranging from mental distress to depression, lingering sadness, lack of confidence, loneliness, and feelings of helplessness.

As a part of the research process, the girl leaders clearly articulated what needs to change, sharing specific recommendations for the government, city planners, funders, corporates, and civil society organisations that they feel are crucial.

Despite the many challenges they face, the girls are still hopeful about their prospects. The study argues that their voices need to be heard now and government, community, business, and other leaders must take actions to ensure girls are an essential part of India's recovery.

The study can be downloaded here: https://empowerweb.org/publications/covid-in-her-voice-a-girl-led-and-centred-participatory-research-study