MUMBAI: At a time when the Government is claiming success for its flagship Swachh Bharat Mission, a survey has revealed that around 40 per cent of the teenage girls in the country still have to defecate in the open.
The survey also found that 46 per cent of teenage girls use unhygienic materials during mensuration and that one out of every second girl was anaemic.
The study, named TAG (Teen Age Girls) Report 2018, was carried out among 74,000 girls in the age group of 13-19 years, across 600 districts, by Project Nanhi Kali, and compiled by Naandi Foundation, with grant support from Mahindra group.
“There was a pressing need to understand our teenage girls better. I am confident that the TAG Report will serve as an important reference document for those in both the public and private sectors that are working towards the upliftment of girls and women across the country,” Anand Mahindra, chairman, Mahindra group, said at the launch.
According to the report, there are 80 million teenage girls in the country at present.
“40 per cent of teenage girls are still having to defecate in the open, while 46 per cent use unhygienic materials during menstruation. Also, only 46.3 per cent of the rural girls surveyed had access to hygienic methods of menstrual protection,” according to the TAG report. (AGENCIES)
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