UPSC Articles
State of the World’s Children Report: UNICEF
Part of: GS-Prelims
Context: The UNICEF report ‘The State of the World’s Children 2021; On My Mind: promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health’ details the significant impact of COVID-19 pandemic on children’s mental health.
- Around 14 percent of 15 to 24-year-olds in India, or 1 in 7, reported often feeling depressed or having little interest in doing things.
- Almost 46,000 adolescents die from suicide each year, among the top five causes of death for their age group.
- More than 1.6 billion children have suffered some loss of education.
- Meanwhile, wide gaps persist between mental health needs and mental health funding. The report finds that about 2 per cent of government health budgets are allocated to mental health spending globally.
Way Forward: It calls for commitment, communication and action as part of a comprehensive approach to promote good mental health for every child, protect vulnerable children and care for children facing the greatest challenges.
- Urgent investment in child and adolescent mental health across sectors, not just in health, to support a whole-of-society approach to prevention, promotion and care.
- Integrating and scaling up evidence-based interventions across health, education and social protection sectors – including parenting programmes that promote responsive, nurturing caregiving and support parent and caregiver mental health; and ensuring schools support mental health through quality services and positive relationships.
- Breaking the silence surrounding mental illness, through addressing stigma and promoting better understanding of mental health and taking seriously the experiences of children and young people.
News Source: PIB
