The UNICEF and GITAM University signed an MoU to empower the adolescents and to address the adolescents’ issues in Visakhapatnam District.
Visakhapatnam has been selected as one of the four districts in India to deal with adolescents’ issues. The other districts are Purulia, West Bengal; Sibsahar District in Assam; and East Singhbum in Jharkhand.
Child marriage
The four states have been selected based on indicators related to adolescent girls and Visakhapatnam district was chosen as it has a high incidence of child marriage of 57.4 per cent and a significant number of tribal population, said UNICEF Chief Field Officer Ruth Leano.
Interacting with GITAM University Vice-Chancellor M.S. Prasada Rao, she informed that as part of the MoU, the UNICEF and the GITAM will identify, develop and sustain the best possible digital platforms. They will make use of channels like empowering adolescents through formation of youth reporter groups, facilitating them to discuss their development issues through weekly and fortnightly meetings, supporting adolescents to appropriately articulate their development concerns, and sharing them with peers and stakeholders through digital media.
