Social work in India has become increasingly important with the rapid advancement of technology and economic development. With a population of 1.3 billion, it is essential to provide healthcare access to all segments of society, promoting gender and socio-economic equality, helping those affected by poverty or disability, improving education initiatives, addressing substance abuse issues and tackling other social challenges.
This article aims to examine the latest statistics surrounding social work in India today. We’ll explore how much progress has been made over time, which populations are most served by these services and what potential challenges could impede further growth. Ultimately we will outline some practical solutions that individuals can take on to help contribute to positive change in Indian communities through solidary efforts nationwide.
Discover the rising prevalence of autism in India, affecting over 18 million people. Learn about the challenges faced by families and the hope for early intervention services and support.
The number of people affected by autism in India is rising, with more than 18 million reported cases. With the growing awareness of the condition and increasing access to early intervention services, it is important to understand its prevalence in the country. Autism is a spectrum disorder which can manifest differently in individuals depending on their ages, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic background.
The average unemployment rate for women in Africa is 9.94%. This is according to the 2019 study by the World Bank. It was based on 52 countries, with South Africa having the largest rate and Niger the lowest.
YUVA Intern Ling Sheperd took a closer look at the various challenges influencing women’s unemployment.
Despite existing anti-discriminatory legislation and rising acceptance among Mauritius’ population, specifically the younger generation, the Mauritius LGBTQ+ community continues to endure discrimination in their personal lives, workplaces, and society.
This is primarily due to conservative beliefs and the stigma associated with homosexuality in Mauritian society.
The COVID-19 global crisis forced the world to be in a complete lockdown, including schools’ closures and work to stop the spread of the disease. Parents staying at home with their children may negatively and positively impact the child’s psychological well-being.
Many countries reported a fall in child attachment, while other countries showed that the lockdown increased child attachment. This article highlights six different countries with child’s attachment during the lockdown.
According to WHO, the current situation of COVID-19 has reached up to 166,860,081 cases with 3,459,996 deaths. Mauritius is a small island with a 1.3 million population, listed as 13 high-risk countries in Africa Region for COVID-19 infection by the UN.
In fact, on 18 March 2020, there were 3 cases of COVID-19, and after two days, the country went into lockdown. Within eight days, 102 cases were reported, and by 6 April 2020, there were already 244 cases that made the country go into complete lockdown for weeks, and the lockdown ended when there were no cases across the island was by the end of May 2020. The government and the whole nation played a significant role in helping the pandemic get over.
Most people in Mauritius would agree that people drive very dangerously here. No matter where you are headed, your next stop might just happen to be Heaven’s Gate. Some drive like there’s no tomorrow, while others have to pass an exam of life and death. We never know if we’re safe on the road and if we’ll return home alive or not.
The ageing of the global population is rapidly increasing. According to the WHO, “between 2000 and 2050, the proportion of people aged 60 years and over should rise from 605 million to 2 billion”.
In Mauritius, this situation is not much different from other parts of the globe. In the period 1972-2015, the percentage of people over 60 years increased from 5.9% to 14.8% (Le Mauricien, 2017).
The following report deals with a normative input about “Ageing” in Mauritius concerning the sub-items “Social Protection and Social Security” in regards to the Open-ended Working Group “Tenth working session” of the UN (New York, 15–18 April 2019).
According to the ‘Mauritian population (live) clock’ made by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the current population density on the 20 August 2019 is about 1,294,683 of which there have been about 9,297 new births and 6,012 deaths this year (Official United Nations population estimates: 2019).
Nearly every family in the world is touched by cancer, which is now responsible for almost one in six deaths globally. On World Cancer Day (4 February) WHO highlights that cancer no longer needs to be a death sentence, as the capacity exists to reduce its burden and improve the survival and quality of life of people living with the disease.
“All countries can do more to prevent and treat cancer. We know the main causes. Acting upon them will avoid that many cases occur in the first place. By strengthening the health system response, we can also ensure earlier diagnosis and better access to affordable treatment by qualified personnel, thereby saving millions of lives.”
Dr Etienne Krug, WHO Director for the Department for Management of Noncommunicable Diseases, Disability, Violence and Injury Prevention
Family protection is an important aspect in any society because the family is a small unit and families make up the society. Happiness and peace including safety are determinants of a healthy society. In Mauritius, Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare is responsible for family protection including gender-based violence, domestic violence, child abuse, elderly abuse, family conflict and conflict among neighbours. Police Family Protection Unit (PFPU) was set up in 1994 with the aim of providing specific services to vulnerable in Mauritius. PFPU is decentralized on a regional basis with a special policing approach for its operation with some underlying principles such as welcoming phase, active listening, individualism, non-judgmental attitude, freedom of decision and confidentiality.
Report presented by YUVA at the ToT of ARASA, Johannesburg
What is Mauritius’ HIV prevalence?
Mauritius HIV prevalence is 0.9%. This report was according to the World Bank collection of development indicators revealed by Trading Economics (2016). Over 70 million people have been infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and approximately 35 million people have died of HIV, from the onset of the epidemic. Also, a global record revealed that about 36.7 million people living with HIV as at the end of 2015 according to the World Health Organization. Although, Mauritius has been able to control the spread of HIV infection; the trend of HIV infection has it that in 2004 -2008, the estimated prevalence of HIV infection in the country was 1.2%, between 2009-2010 a prevalence rate of 1.15% was recorded. Between 2011 to 2013, a prevalence of 1.0% was reported and in 2014-2015, an estimated prevalence of 0.9% was observed for the population aged 15 -49 years according to the report of Trading Economics (2018). Continue reading “Access to HIV and TB Services in Mauritius”
According to estimates, a total number of 329 cases of HIV/AIDS cases were detected in the year 2016 in which 319 cases were Mauritians and 10 cases were foreigners. The yearly positivity rates of HIV recorded seem to be 0.36% for the year 2016, which concludes that the total number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Mauritius is 6671. Statistics clearly indicate that men have the highest prevalence of HIV as out of the 6671 cases 5061 are men and 1610 are women. Since 1987 Mauritius has reported approximately 953 deaths due to HIV. Continue reading “The Situation of HIV/AIDS in Mauritius”
World AIDS Day is celebrated around the world on December 1st each year. It has become one of the most recognized international health days and a key opportunity to raise awareness, commemorate those who have passed on, and celebrate victories, such as increased access to treatment and prevention services.
UNAIDS took the lead on campaigning for World AIDS Day from its creation until 2004. From 2004 onwards the World AIDS Campaign’s Global Steering Committee began selecting a theme for World AIDS Day in consultation with civil society, organisations and government agencies involved in the AIDS response.
Themes run for one or two years and are not just specific to World AIDS Day. Campaigning slogans such as ‘Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise’ have been used year-round to hold governments accountable for their HIV and AIDS related commitments.
2016 Theme: HANDS UP FOR #HIVPREVENTION
In the lead-up to World AIDS Day 2016, the hands up for #HIVprevention campaign will explore different aspects of HIV prevention and how they relate to specific groups of people, such as adolescent girls and young women, key populations and people living with HIV.
A new report by UNAIDS Get on the Fast-Track: the life-cycle approach to HIV shows that countries are getting on the Fast-Track, with an additional one million people accessing treatment in just six months (January to June 2016). By June 2016, around 18.2 million [16.1 million–19.0 million] people had access to the life-saving medicines, including 910 000 children, double the number five years earlier. If these efforts are sustained and increased, the world will be on track to achieve the target of 30 million people on treatment by 2020.
The report was launched on 21 November 2016 in Windhoek, Namibia, by the President of Namibia, Hage Geingob and the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé.
GLOBAL HIV STATISTICS
18.2 million [16.1 million–19.0 million] people were accessing antiretroviral therapy (June 2016)
36.7 million [34.0 million–39.8 million] people globally were living with HIV (end 2015)
2.1 million [1.8 million–2.4 million] people became newly infected with HIV (end 2015)
1.1 million [940 000–1.3 million] people died from AIDS-related illnesses (end 2015)
78 million [69.5 million–87.6 million] people have become infected with HIV since the start of the epidemic (end 2015)
35 million [29.6 million–40.8 million] people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the start of the epidemic (end 2015)
People living with HIV
In 2015, there were 36.7 million [34.0 million–39.8 million] people living with HIV.
UNAIDS World AIDS Day event – Moving forward together: leaving no one behind
UNAIDS will host a special event on 30 November 2016 to commemorate World AIDS Day and the commitment to move forward together to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.
