Convention on issues of adolescent girls held in Dibrugarh University

From a Correspondent

Dibrugarh, May 17:  The district administration’s office recently organized an adolescent girls’ convention in collaboration with Dibrugarh University (DU), which was supported by UNICEF.

The convention held at the DU premises was organized to offer exposure to adolescent girls on various topics like higher and, vocatiol education facilities, various scholarships, nutrition, sanitation, hygiene and knowledge about different child protection agencies in the district.

The convention that had been conceptualized by Deputy Commissioner MS Manivann, was supported by Vice Chancellor of Dibrugarh University, Dr Alak Kumar Buragohain. The day-long convention witnessed the participation of 550 adolescent girls from the tea community from 76 tea estates of the district.  

 Speaking in the felicitation ceremony, Deputy Commissioner MS Manivann, by welcoming the guests and the adolescent girls, stated that the district administration was committed to the cause of empowerment of girls of the tea community and would take all necessary steps in realization of the same.  

Later, Superintendent of Police, Bir Bikram Gogoi, in his deliberation asserted that the district police would work towards ensuring the protection of girls in the district. Asserting the University’s commitment towards the academic prospects of the adolescent girls, Vice-Chancellor Dr. Alak Kumar Buragohain, said that Dibrugarh University would facilitate all possible help to the adolescent girls of tea community in accessing the pincles of higher education.  

Addressing the convention, WASH Specialist, UNICEF India Country Office, New Delhi, Sujoy Ghosh, said that the adolescent convention had created history as nowhere in India, so many stake holders had join hands to collectively work for the empowerment of adolescent girls from the tea gardens.

Attending the convention as a chief guest, Principal of Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH), Dr Ratan Kotoky highlighted the key health-related issues of girls from tea community and stated how AMCH had been playing a key role in addressing them.

The stakeholders of the convention who helped in making the event a success were DIbrugarh University, district administration, various departments of AMCH, Tea Garden Association, Assam Branch of Indian Tea Association (ABITA), Bharatiya Cha Parishad (BCP), and tea garden magement of 76 tea gardens of the district, district police and UNICEF.

Moreover, three parallel sessions were organized and nine stalls were set up during the convention, in which 500 adolescent girls, who were divided in four groups, attended the sessions and later visited the stalls in rotation.

In the felicitation ceremony, the adolescent girls shared their experiences of the convention, and later presented songs and dance. The adolescent girls were given certificates of participation.

With regard to the stalls, Public Health and Engineering department (PHE) in their stall displayed information and knowledge on how to clean drinking water, maintain sanitation, and hygiene in their homes and community, including the services provided by PHE. Likewise, tiol Health Mission (NHM) had set up their camp to conduct a check-up of the girls regarding various commonly found diseases among the adolescent girls from the tea community and also suggested treatment and provided sanitary pkins to the girls at discounted rates.

AMCH which had set up three stalls demonstrated healthy cooking and balanced diet from the locally available and low cost vegetables which can be grown in the kitchen gardens. In the stalls of Sarvashiksha Abhiyan(SSA) and Rastriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhijan (RMSA),  information on the SSA schemes and how adolescent girls can benefit from the same were displayed.  

In the stall set up by  Bharatiya Cha Parishad (BCP) and ABITA, handicraft items prepared by adolescent girls as part of their training in the Adolescent Girls’ Club activity were put up for exhibition. There are Adolescent Girls’ Club in 84 tea gardens of the district which are supported by UNICEF.

The newly-constituted District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) in their stall displayed the various protection services available to the adolescent girls and how they can access these services.