Promoting Sexual and Reproductive Health of Adolescents with Disability: A Synthesis of Global Evidence and Possible Solutions for India

Global estimates suggest that over a billion people live with disability. Of these, between 93 and 150 million are children and adolescents living with various forms of physical, sensory and intellectual disabilities, mostly residing in developing countries. According to the 2011 Census, India alone has about 26.8 million persons with disabilities, of which four million are adolescents aged 10–19 years. Children with disabilities are one of the most marginalised and excluded in the child population globally. They are disproportionately vulnerable to abuse, exploitation and poor sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes as compared to their non-disabled counterparts. Although there has been a general recognition over the years that the educational and employment opportunities of adolescents with disabilities (AwDs) in India need to be improved, their sexual needs and aspirations, sexuality concerns and SRH and rights have been largely ignored. The objective of this chapter is to highlight the paucity of research on the SRH concerns of AwDs in the Indian context by reviewing the existing literature in India. The study describes the challenges faced by AwDs in acquiring sexuality and SRH education based on the results of empirical studies conducted globally. Given the lack of research on AwDs in India, the chapter synthesises the global evidence to underscore possible pathways for the promotion of healthy sexual development of AwDs. These could be contextualised to India and be used as benchmarks for evidence-based policy making with programmes in the arena of adolescent SRH and disability.