CHILD RIGHTS

AND
PROTECTION:
CONTEXT,
POLICY AND
PRACTICE

SUBMITTED BY:

LALRINPUII SILVERA

M2017MH006

PART 1: THE PERIOD OF ADOLESCENCE: EXCITEMENT OR HIDDEN

VULNERABILITIES.

Adolescence is the special stage in an individual’s life cycle. It can be seen as the phase
between childhood and adulthood. Young people in their teens constitute the largest
population in the world. This set of years of adolescence has been thoroughly studied
from various perspectives ranging from the biological affects of puberty, the socio-cultural
dynamics change and how this stage in the life cycle affects and either nurtures or harms
them psychologically.

Adolescence was once seen as something that was just made up, owing to its dual
visibility with puberty. Puberty is the process in which the child’s physical body changes
to be sexually mature. This brings about various changes in terms of growth in height,
hair, voice change which is more common amongst boys etc. it was believed to have
grown out as a by-product of industrialisation, a personally and socially problematic
period created by the dependence of young people on their parents (Richter, 2006). The
World Health Organization (WHO) defines adolescents as person between 10 and 19
years of age. (WHO 1998) Although adolescents make up about 20 per cent of the world’s
population (of whom 85 per cent live in developing countries), they have traditionally been
neglected as a distinct target group and subsumed under the promotion of family,
women's and child welfare and health. This has at least partially been because
adolescents were seen as a relatively healthy age group, one that did not have a heavy
'burden of disease' at least as compared with young infants or adults (Dehne&Riedner,
2001)

In many societies, the onset of adolescence is celebrated through different rituals

associated with adulthood. In modern day, this is no more done with publicity. The age of
adolescence is seen as a  time of both disorientation and discovery. This  transitional
period can bring up issues of independence and self-identity; many adolescents and their
peers face tough choices regarding school, sexuality, drugs and alcohol, and  social life.
Peer groups, romantic interests, and appearance tend to naturally increase in perceived
importance for some time during a teen's journey toward adulthood.

It is a time when the child starts to engage with the idea of independence and autonomy.
Asserting their own and space and trying to find a space of negotiating with the adults in
their life. In this life stage, it is common to see teens “lash out” for what they believe in.
This stage bring with it a certain set of life challenges as well.

This period of adolescence can be roughly divided into three stages: early adolescence,
generally ages eleven  to fourteen; middle adolescence, ages fifteen to  seventeen; and
late adolescence, ages eighteen to twenty-one. The child develops in physical,
intellectual, emotional and social spheres. Many theorists have come up with
understanding the development of humans. Developmental theorist Erikson proposed his
psychosocial theory of human development. According to Erikson's theory, people must
pass through sequential developmental stages, or "crises", during which they either
develop the necessary skills to become successful, happy members of society; or, they
fail to successfully navigate the crisis and remain "stuck" at that developmental stage.

Associated with the study of adolescents is also their struggle and question with identity.
In the mid 60’s James Marcia came up with is identity status theory, wherein he was
particularly interested in the way adolescents develop their own individual identity within
the framework of their families and larger culture.

Adolescence is seen as a period of turmoil where the child has to adjust to changes in
his/her environment. They are riddled with life expectations which may put them in an
uncomfortable spot. A struggle with their identity, body changes, sexuality amongst
others. The implications it has on the mental health of teens is also a big part of their
lives.

This stage of life is when there is a high chance of adolescents struggling with mental
health issues such as depression, anxiety and eating disorders. Trying to keep up with a
certain image that they have, many eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia
nervosa is common amongst adolescents. This has serious health implications to the
body and also the minds of growing children. There is a per perpetual struggle with what
the adolescent sees in the outside environment and how they feel inside. There is a high
level of influence that can be seen especially now that social media has grown roots more
then ever.

With a projected image of what is “good” or what is the “ideal body”, they are day in and
day out exposed to the lifestyles of what is good and ideal. This has caused a shift in the
perceptions of how their lives should be led. We can see that there is a stark difference in
the way adolescents of today live as compared to twenty years back. Right from the way
they dress to the use of technology and social media. There is also a shift in the mindset
of this age group.

Another area that is heavily turbulent at this time is the experimentation with substance.
This may start with the influence of their peers or through what is seen in media. This
experimentation with substance can lead to addiction in later life. This has led to the
formulation of peer cluster theory. Peer cluster theory hypothesizes that peer drug
association has a direct effect on adolescent drug use. In turn, peer drug associations are
influenced by familial factors (sanctions and strength) and individual variables (religious
identification, school adjustment). These peer clusters are small, very cohesive groupings
that shape a great deal of adolescent behaviour, including drug use.

This being said, adolescence is widely studied to be a transitional stage of a human’s life
which comes with it certain excitement for the individual. It is a stage when autonomy
starts being exerted and the child is presented with various new experiences. They start
playing substantial roles not only in the family but in society as well. With certain
developmental tasks that they go through, it is also when they grow leaps and bounds.

Though this stage brings about change and growth, it is evident that the period of
adolescence is indeed a trying time for the individual. It provides a stage wherein the
person is not only struggling internally with his/her own self but also at large against the
society. We can see that in this time period is when a person is most rebellious and also is
easy at taking risks. It is an “in-between” stage which is a struggle for many. Not being
able to be either with the children group or the adult group which can lead to isolation of
the person even further.

With all of these changes happening, it starts to become a struggle for the child as well in
terms of academics. If we take a look at the education system of India in particular, it is a
scene set in the accumulation of marks. This heavy handed marks system brings about a
lot of anxiety amongst youth which also could lead to other mental health issues such as
depression. The mental health implications are very stark with a high level of non suicidal
self-injury which has also become a common phenomenon. The adolescent may not be
okay with bringing out their inner struggles to other people and may instead try to deal
with their feelings in such ways. It is a common phenomenon to see that this happens in
this life stage.

The transition from childhood to adolescence is seen as an important step in the

attainment of adulthood. A carefree stage when the person is free to engage with and
learn different things about themselves and the world around them. In contrast to this, we
can see from the different areas covered that it is the opposite. Adolescence is a turbulent
time for a person in their life, it is when they are presented with life choices which will in
turn shape their future and either help them or bring them down from realising their
dreams.

What we have to understand is that many times, the stage of adolescence is only seen as
a stage wherein certain problems like rebellion and behavioural problems may be linked
to hormonal changes. Adolescence is not just about the physical changes of puberty but
is linked to a more deeper question of how intrinsic the damage can be.

Adolescent vulnerability is not really seen, as they are more often than not a population
which is not very much targeted in any special sense. This becomes very problematic as
the seemingly minor things which we discount as “an adolescent phase” may bring about
further problems in the future. Adolescents may not necessarily get their needs or wants
at the time they need it because of a detachment to people other than their own peers.
Peers have a high influence on individuals at this age, thus forms the backbone of what is
seen as peer pressure.

Many of the problems that have been mentioned beforehand in this essay are things
which could be easily termed as “common” for an adolescent and that they do not much
make a difference. But the fact that all of the problems encountered at this time are
expected and seen to be somewhat a “rite of passage” we have become apathetic to the
needs of adolescents which is making them more vulnerable.

PART 2:
The process of reading different articles and writing this assignment has led me to really
reflect on the whole period of adolescence, something which we all go through, but very
different for each of us. Various life experiences have led us to where we are today, and
the implications it has had for us is real and it is evident. This period of turmoil makes
people so much more vulnerable in ways which I had not thought of before. Though I
would have liked to put more instances, the ones presented here allowed me to engage in
my own understanding of the vulnerabilities during adolescence and how we have
brushed it off so callously in everyday life.

References:

Steinberg, L. (2007). Risk Taking in Adolescence: New Perspectives from Brain and
Behavioral Science. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16(2), 55-59. Retrieved
from http://ezproxy.tiss.edu:2067/stable/20183162

Viner, R., Ross, D., Hardy, R., Kuh, D., Power, C., Johnson, A., . . . Batty, G. (2015). Life
course epidemiology: Recognising the importance of adolescence. Journal of
Epidemiology and Community Health (1979-), 69(8), 719-720. Retrieved from http://
ezproxy.tiss.edu:2067/stable/44017576

Dehne, K., & Riedner, G. (2001). Adolescence: A Dynamic Concept. Reproductive Health
Matters, 9(17), 11-15. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.tiss.edu:2067/stable/3776393

Seiffge-Krenke, I., Aunola, K., & Nurmi, J. (2009). Changes in Stress

Perception and Coping during Adolescence: The Role of Situational and
Personal Factors. Child Development, 80(1), 259-279. Retrieved from http://
ezproxy.tiss.edu:2067/stable/29738610

Zahn-Waxler, C., Klimes-Dougan, B., & Kendziora, K. (1998). The Study of

Emotion Socialization: Conceptual, Methodological, and Developmental
Considerations. Psychological Inquiry, 9(4), 313-316. Retrieved from http://
ezproxy.tiss.edu:2067/stable/1449743