Wokha District Administration in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare, department of Health & Family Welfare, Nagaland, and District Hub for women Empowerment under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) organised an awareness program on adolescent girls’ health at Tiyi Hall, Wokha, on October 19 2024.
Deputy Commissioner, Wokha Vineet Kumar, IAS delivering the keynote address, emphasised on the importance of adolescent girl’s education and its impact on the society. The DC encouraged the participating students to focus on their education as it will provide them opportunities to acquire more knowledge and help in improving critical thinking skills and social values whereby helping them in becoming a responsible person in future.
Dermatologist of Dr. Motsuo Memorial, District Hospital Wokha Dr. Niya Kath, served as the resource person for the event. She addressed the causes and consequences of teenage pregnancy, explaining the classification of adolescents into early (ages 12-13), middle (ages 14-16), and late adolescence (ages 17-19). Dr. Kath shared her experiences with pregnant teens, many of whom had little understanding of pregnancy or its impact on their lives. She highlighted the importance of parental involvement, care, and communication with adolescents in order to avoid teen pregnancy and also urged that parents keep a check on the social media content the child is consuming.
Dr. Kath highlighted on the importance of age-appropriate sex education, stating that early adolescents should only be taught on abstinence, while middle adolescents should be taught on both abstinence and education and for the older adolescents, she stated that comprehensive sex education can be taught. She offered practical advice for safe and enjoyable dating, encouraging activities like sports and group outings as alternatives to risky sexual behavior. Dr. Kath also stressed that teenage boys should not be overlooked in these discussions, highlighting their responsibility and the need to educate them on preventing early fatherhood.
Delivering the keynote address, District Welfare Officer (DWO) James Ezung highlighted the societal impacts of teenage pregnancy, emphasizing the need for in-depth education to raise awareness among adolescents about their rights. He noted that adolescence, while being one of the most joyful stages of life, is also a vulnerable period. Ezung stressed that teenage pregnancy can severely affect a girl’s happiness and growth, and prevention is crucial. He encouraged open discussions on the topic within families, religious institutions, and communities to break the stigma associated with seeking help.
Advisor Lotha Eloe Hoho, Mhonchumi Humtsoe, urged students to be aware of what is good and bad for their bodies and not to succumb to peer pressure, and body shaming. She noted that many adolescents suffer from mental health issues, anemia, and obesity, with one in ten adolescents being affected. According to Humtsoe, adolescent’s pregnancy problems are often caused by a lack of education, limited access to contraceptives, stigma around the adolescent, sexual abuse, family instability, and peer pressure and also due to the influence of alcohol and drugs.She urged adolescents to avoid substance use, refrain from engaging in sexual activities, and avoid teenage pregnancy.
The program was chaired by freelance journalist Grace Kikon, with the invocation led by Assistant Pastor Y. Chumbenthung Murry from WTBC. EAC Wokha,Rozy Sangtam, delivered the welcome address. A special song was presented by Sojano Tsopoe, followed by a dance performance by students of DBHHS, Wokha, and a one-act play by Santsuo School, Wokha. And the vote of thanks was delivered by Mission Coordinator, DHEW, Dr. Wonchano.
