The Government of India in 2008, declared January 24 of every year, as “National Girl Child Day” with the objective to raise consciousness of the society towards the Girl Child, so that she can be valued and respected. The National Mission for Empowerment of Women (NMEW) and its nodal Ministry of Women and Child Development has been taking a multi pronged approach to address and reverse the trend of declining sex ratio. The objective of all these initiatives is to work towards ensuring that girls are born, loved, nurtured and grow up to become empowered citizens with equal rights.
The Convention on Rights of the Child, drafted by the UN Commission on Human Rights came into force as an International law on 2nd September, 1990. It gives children the:
1. Right to Survival
2. Right to Protection
3. Right to Development
4. Right to Participation
It also includes: Right to Health & Nutrition(undernourished girls also grow up to become undernourished mothers), Right to Freedom from Exploitation in all forms, Abuses, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Neglect, Special Protection during War, Emergency, Disaster and Armed Conflicts.The Constitution and Directive Principles of State Policy of India recognizes, protects and acknowledges children as “supremely important national assets” and directs the State to ensure that all children are provided with services and opportunities to grow and develop in a safe and secure environment. Hence, the country accords priority to their development, education, nutrition and aims to provide conducive atmosphere to give them opportunities and facilities to develop healthy manners in freedom and dignity and ensure that they are protected from all forms of exploitation, moral and material abandonment. It aims for a holistic development of children.
In spite of the above stated provisions, it is unfortunate that the Girl Child is growing increasingly susceptible to abuse, violence and exploitation both inside and outside her home. Her life is a constant fight for survival, growth and development from the time she is conceived till she attains 18 years.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development set up the Working Group on Development for Children for the Eleventh Five Year Plan. The table below is a result of the findings of this working group, which depicts the life chart of a girl child and highlights the many life threatening problems she faces.
Besides the daily struggles of life that the Girl Child faces, as indicated in the table above, we are also witnessing the rising trend in rapes, violence against women and rapid brutalization in Naga society. These are due to certain factors in our society. Studies have shown that the girls are three times more likely to be victims of abuse as compared to boys. In India, girls have been found to be the most vulnerable section of the society; the child sex ratio shows that for every 1000 male children, there are only 944 female children. Employing children, especially girl children as domestic helper deprives them of their childhood, the right to life and liberty. There is also literacy gap between the genders, with the male literacy rate at 82.8% and that of the female literacy rate at 76.1%. All these information reveal that the girl child is placed in a most vulnerable condition in society. They also prove to us that we need to be equipped with proper information in order to protect/guard/defend our girl child.
As we meet National Girl Child Day 2014, there is a need for intense introspection and reflection. Do we, as a society truly value the sanctity of the life of the Girl Child? Is it possible that her basic Human Rights are sometimes compromised because of her gender? It is pertinent to contemplate these questions in a candid manner without being defensive, as we human beings are often prone to become. Let us all come together to protect our girl child. In doing so, we protect our society and its conscience.
Published by: Nagaland State Resource Centre for Women
(Nodal Agency: Nagaland State Social Welfare Board)
National Mission for Empowerment of Women
Ministry of Women & Child Development
