On October 05, 2021, Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare released UNICEF’s (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) global flagship publication – ‘The State of the World’s Children 2021; On My Mind: promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health’.
- The publication details the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of children. The report was launched globally on the same day.
- Around 14 percent of 15 to 24-year-olds (or 1 in 7) in India were reported feeling depressed or having little interest in doing things.
Key Findings of the Report:
i.The report was based on the survey conducted by UNICEF and Gallup in 21 countries (including India) in the first half of 2021.
ii.It is estimated that more than 13 percent of adolescents aged 10–19 live with a diagnosed mental disorder (as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO)).
iii.Anxiety and depression make up about 40 percent of the diagnosed mental disorders
iv.Every year, almost 45,800 children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 die from suicide which is about 1 person every 11 minutes.
v.Child Mortality: As per the report the Under-5 Mortality Rate of India in 2019 was 34 and the Annual number of under–5 deaths in 2019 was around 824,448. Click here to know more
vi.Mansukh Mandaviya mentioned the teachers as very important stakeholders for addressing the mental health issues of children along with parents and family.
Recent Related News:
The department of Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) and the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water (PR&DW), under the government of Odisha, signed a Letter of Understanding (LoU) with UNICEF and Centre for Policy Research (CPR) for urban-rural convergence on Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM) and Plastic Waste Management (PWM).
About United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
Establishment – 11 December 1946
Headquarters – New York, United States
Executive Director – Henrietta H. Fore
