For marginalised sections of society such as married adolescent girls, the Covid-19 pandemic causes more damage.
For instance, there have been reports of poor mental health among these girls arising out of the anxiety related to their health, economic situation and the underlying uncertainty due to COVID-19. The girls are affected to a larger degree due to their history of exploitation.
To address this, Terre des Hommes Netherlands’ project, Initiatives for Married Adolescent Girls’ Empowerment (IMAGE) in Karnataka, India set up an online counselling session for early married girls and their families. The session was organised online keeping in mind the situation surrounding COVID.
The session was conducted by a professional counselor who gave the girls’ practical steps to address their anxiety and tension. They were asked to maintain a journal, practice deep breathing, indulge in activities that require deep focus such as vegetable chopping, gardening, and drawing patterns among others.
Apart from these general steps, the counselor addressed the individual problems of the girls who opened up about their issues on the virtual platform.
The session was extremely useful for the girls and they now know how to deal with their anxiety.
