After the two field visits, two more were taken and eventually a large meeting was held where all the youth groups involved with Thoughtshop Foundation( TF) were called. The purpose of the meeting was to make them understand the purpose of fund raising and further investing it to sustain themselves. Alongside that, discussions were also held where each group was asked to look at the difficulties prevailing in their respective community.
After a detailed discussion where each group was allotted about ten minutes the key problems that emerged were:
- Child marriage
- Lack of amenities
- School dropouts
- Lack of support from group members
- Addiction
- Child labor
- Movement restriction on girls
- Gender discrimination
- Domestic violence
- Economic problems
- Lack of opportunities
- Religious superstitions
From amidst these, the analysis done at TF states the five main vulnerable areas which need to be addressed:
I was suggested to extract the content from the above write up. I individually took each of the issues and examined the causes and consequences. So far have worked on child marriage, child labor, school dropout and child missing.
After writing down all the causes and consequences, I felt that for a child it is important to understand the following:
1. The stake holders involved in these situation such as parents, relatives, neighbors, friends, siblings, etc.
2. Existing social beliefs and practices for example with regard to dowry, to maintain the chastity of girl child,
3. Aspect of understanding the biological development of one’s body, creating awareness regarding the harmful effects of early marriage and child-bearing.
4. The incidence of abuse being higher in all these situations and the child is likely to be trapped in a viscous circle of poverty, illiteracy and social deprivation.
