Sexual Behavior among Adolescents in Delhi Urban Slums

Jay Prakash, Formative Research and Development Services
Krishna K. Varma, Formative Research and Development Services

The sexual behavior among urban adolescents is outcome of various social interactions. In India, studies on communication about sex and contraception mostly focused on communication between sexual partners. This paper examines the various channels through which young people learn and receive information about sex-related topics, extent and timing of family communication (if it is there) with children about sex, the reasons of non-communication; and the sexual behavior of youths (unmarried), specifically the way they fulfill their sexual needs. The study is based on a formative research which includes focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews among the adolescents in urban slum of Delhi. A sample survey of 750 households was conducted to study the reproductive health behavior in the study area. The respondents for the qualitative interviews have been identified during the household survey.