NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

By Poonam Muttreja, Sanghamitra Singh

At 232 million, India’s burgeoning adolescent and youth population (15-24 years) will shape the course of the country’s future.  The socioeconomic development of the nation calls for greater investments in this demographic, in order to address their specific needs and inform their choices.

While we often talk about education, skill development, and job opportunities as means of investing in the youth, conversations surrounding their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs often take a backseat, owing to regressive social norms, which render the subject taboo.

The fourth National Family Health Survey (2015-16) states that over half of the married women, between 15-19 of age, have begun childbearing. At least 10 percent of women (25–49 years of age) had sex before the age of 15, and 38 percent by the time they were 18. This data is indicative of the need for sex education to promote positive sexual and reproductive health, family planning, and prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Magill.