In India, many young women, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, are subjected to discrimination and are forced into early marriage without the opportunity to complete their education. Some important statistics that emphasize the plight of adolescent girls are:
- About 1 in 4 girls in India are married before the age of 18 years
- In high prevalence districts more than 50% are married before 18 years
- Adolescent girls less than 15 years are five times more likely to die during pregnancy than those in their 20s
- More than 70% adolescent girls report severe complications during pregnancy
- 70% of young women in India face domestic violence
- Girls with secondary schooling are up to 6 times less likely to be married before the age of 18 years
Our Story
Over the last 45 years, Institute of Health Management Pachod (IHMP) – a non-profit organization has been addressing the most pressing public health concerns of disadvantaged groups in the country and has created a lasting impact on the lives and health of over seven million people. IHMP’s major focus during the last 25 years has been on safeguarding and transforming the lives of vulnerable adolescent girls living in rural and urban slum communities.
For married adolescent girls, IHMP provides sexual reproductive health rights and services to reduce adolescent deaths due to early pregnancy, and prevent low birth weight among babies. Our work with over 127,000 married adolescent girls has resulted in a significant increase in contraceptive use, delay in the age at first pregnancy, reduced maternal and child mortality, and babies with low birth-weight. IHMP provides life skills education to unmarried adolescent girls to empower them to make independent life choices, and prevent child marriage. Our work in this regard has touched the lives of about 103,000 adolescent girls resulting in a significant and measurable increase in their self-esteem, self-efficacy, and a delay in their age at marriage from 14.5 years to 18 years. IHMPs work with 8600 boys and young men has resulted in a measurable change in gender based attitudes and gender inequitable behaviours.
IHMPs work has reached 300,000 population among the poor living in urban slums. IHMP is providing preventive and promotive health services through front line workers and laboratory based diagnostic and curative health services through mobile medical units.