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Infectious diseases have exposed the tribes (scheduled tribes, Adivasis, indigenous people) to more critical risks than other communities in India. Considering their disparate possession of power, privileges and resources, and the available data, the article situates tribes in the context of coronavirus pandemic in India by using the vulnerability framework. It reflects upon the strengths, weaknesses and uncertainties of tribes and the lack of structural support for them in the emergent crisis of pandemic. It argues that compounded vulnerabilities of tribal communities due to Covid-19 are attributed to their historical location in the socio-economic, cultural and political realms and the lack of access to resources and opportunities in the post-colonial Indian society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In urban informal economies, waste-pickers increasingly face threat to their livelihoods due to the rapid emergence of formal systems of waste collection and lack of adequate public policies for their welfare. In this context, the study explores livelihood conditions of domestic waste-pickers and their occupational and educational mobility in Chandigarh, which is often referred as one of most well-planned cities of India. Using a semi-structured schedule, a field-based survey of the waste-pickers brings out that waste-pickers are the migrant workers from adjoining states and work as waste-pickers mainly due to non-availability of alternative employment opportunities. Employment in waste-picking is characterized by informal service charge fixation purely through interaction between house-owners and waste-pickers, where their low bargaining power leads to a surprisingly low level of income with significant variations due to gender. Child labour, even though disguised, also tends to exist. The study reveals unsafe working conditions, awful health conditions and unpleasant living conditions of the waste-pickers along with trivial upward educational mobility and no upward occupational mobility. The analysis presents a classic case of failure of both market and state in delivering optimum economic welfare to waste-pickers even in case of well-planned and highly urbanized city such as Chandigarh of India and demands immediate public policy intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research work investigates the important concerns of 168 elderly women, age varying from 60 years and above, who were contributing to the labour market (139 were working in the agricultural sector and 29 were working in the rural non-farm sector) and to determine their health status. Data was collected from two sources: by survey method and from the secondary sources (National Sample Survey Organisation 71st Round (2014), and Census of India (1961-2011, to capture the causalities which can enforce older women to contribute to the labour market. Statistically, bivariate and binary logistic regression models were employed as methods of analyses. The results demonstrated that out-migration of young adults, unavailability of caregivers, poverty, and decline of the traditional support system were major ingredients that forced elderly women to participate in the farm and rural-nonfarm sectors. These findings were further explored that absence of spousal support, institutional benefits and residential care were reported as the key obstacles and which requires policy comprehensions to reduce gender-based disparities in both institutional and residential spheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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'Swatantra-Clinic' at NIMHANS, India, provides mental healthcare to vulnerable children. This study describes the clinical profile, vulnerability and protective factors of 77 adolescents in conflict with the law (CICL). 90.9 % (n=70) reported Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), 58.4 % (n=45) had school-related difficulties, 68.9 % (n=53) reported child labour experiences, 64.9 % (n=50) had deviant peer associations, and 40 % (n=31) experimented with substance use. Despite vulnerabilities, 72.7 %(n=56) had a positive future orientation, 45.5 % (n=35) had supportive caregivers and exhibited prosocial skills. only 12 % (n=9) followed up on recommendations, highlighting the need for collaborative and transdisciplinary care to promote CICL rehabilitation and community integration., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study draws on qualitative data about gendered vulnerabilities and resilience in situations of urban flooding in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, India. Women in informal urban spaces comprise marginalized groups who face greater risks in times of disaster owing to their inferior socioeconomic status and the hazardous geographical space they occupy. This study provides insights into the lived experiences of women in such spaces that are shaped by unequal gender relations and flooding. Women's narratives are analyzed and presented as part of my research findings. Unequal gender relations, combined with socioeconomic disadvantage, are important factors for their vulnerability and limited resilience. The perspectives of urban disadvantaged women, which have been long ignored, need to be actively integrated into disaster risk reduction planning. The implications of a gendered approach to disaster risk reduction by prioritizing the empowerment of urban disadvantaged women is discussed and suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low and middle-income countries like India with a large youth population experience a different environment from that of high-income countries. The Consortium on Vulnerability to Externalizing Disorders and Addictions (cVEDA), based in India, aims to examine environmental influences on genomic variations, neurodevelopmental trajectories and vulnerability to psychopathology, with a focus on externalizing disorders. Methods: cVEDA is a longitudinal cohort study, with planned missingness design for yearly follow-up. Participants have been recruited from multi-site tertiary care mental health settings, local communities, schools and colleges. 10,000 individuals between 6 and 23 years of age, of all genders, representing five geographically, ethnically, and socio-culturally distinct regions in India, and exposures to variations in early life adversity (psychosocial, nutritional, toxic exposures, slum-habitats, socio-political conflicts, urban/rural living, mental illness in the family) have been assessed using age-appropriate instruments to capture socio-demographic information, temperament, environmental exposures, parenting, psychiatric morbidity, and neuropsychological functioning. Blood/saliva and urine samples have been collected for genetic, epigenetic and toxicological (heavy metals, volatile organic compounds) studies. Structural (T1, T2, DTI) and functional (resting state fMRI) MRI brain scans have been performed on approximately 15% of the individuals. All data and biological samples are maintained in a databank and biobank, respectively. Discussion: The cVEDA has established the largest neurodevelopmental database in India, comparable to global datasets, with detailed environmental characterization. This should permit identification of environmental and genetic vulnerabilities to psychopathology within a developmental framework. Neuroimaging and neuropsychological data from this study are already yielding insights on brain growth and maturation patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human trafficking is a multi-layered criminal offence that has plagued India and people in the Odisha (State in the Republic of India) are at an alarming risk of trapped in trafficking. Trafficking takes several forms of exploitation, ranging from forced servitude to commercial sexual exploitation in the state. Owing to its high rural population, Odisha has emerged as a source for trafficking in the last decade. This study analyses the secondary data from various online sources and addresses the major causes which encourages the traffickers to trap more people in the racket of trafficking. It also provides a statistical analysis of the crime in the state with major stakeholder analysis followed by a comparative study of the anti-trafficking model used in the north-eastern states of India. It also addresses the vulnerabilities of the victims who are forced into trafficking and the socio-economic factors that contribute to their vulnerabilities. The article outlines several central and state anti-trafficking legal policies which range from countering trafficking to the successful rehabilitation of the victims. Analysing the several sociological aspects which catalyse the process of trafficking in the community, the study aims to paint a clearer picture of the scenario of trafficking in Odisha whilst recognising the vulnerable people based on the rescue operations made by the state government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]