The Rights of a Girl Child In many remote places and even cities in India, the birth of a girl child is not welcome. Right from the moment she is born, the girl child faces discrimination, humiliation and becomes a victim of age old beliefs from a very young age. Healthcare, educating a girl child and growth opportunities are not provided to her because of her gender. While some manage to survive and forge new paths in in life, most of them quit their battles and accept the fates they believe they have no choice but to accept. India is a country where gender inequality has always been present. There was also the issue of underlying patriarchy. The girl children often times are the recipients of the short end of the stick. The discrimination these girls face on a daily basis is rampant. It is because the families fear that the girls would face abuse and exploitation, they are kept confined to their homes. They are denied their rights to an education. Another societal evil these young girls have to face is child marriage. It is one of the main reasons they are forced to give up any dreams they might have of leading a normal life.
We need to understand the mind-set of the parents who think it is alright to let their girl children work, so that we are able to provide
BC Web Wise Pvt Limited, Mahalaxmi Engineering Estate, L. J. Cross Road No.1, Near K.J. Khilnani High School, Mahim (W), Mumbai – 400016, +91 – 22 – 67674000 info@bcwebwise.com| www.bcwebwise.com
them with an opportunity to access education. Rights of a girl child have been advocated aggressively in the country by individuals, governmental organisations and many NGOs. We are working towards a world where girls are celebrated, where they are treated equally, with love and respect. What is needed at once in society today is a change of attitude. Girls should have the same opportunities and protection as boys. They need to be treated at par. A girl’s childhood must be preserved, cherished, nurtured and protected and steps should be taken towards it. She too has the right to survive, develop, be protected and participate in decisions that would impact her life. The right for the girl child in India includes: • Education which would create attitudinal shifts which would emphasise the rights of a girl child • It also breaks myths and stereotypes around gender • Ensures State accountability to implement various schemes, policies, laws, constitutional guarantees and international commitments • Institutionalises gender sensitive processes within various systems such as law and programmes
BC Web Wise Pvt Limited, Mahalaxmi Engineering Estate, L. J. Cross Road No.1, Near K.J. Khilnani High School, Mahim (W), Mumbai – 400016, +91 – 22 – 67674000 info@bcwebwise.com| www.bcwebwise.com
• Encourages community ownership which helps in prevention of the violations faced by girls • Demands a healthy budget allocation for the girl child at both the state and central level • Builds women leaders from the community through programmes which sensitises them and helps them understand their rights and ensure it for girls and women like them. From this article, we can see that India has started taking steps towards educating the girl child. The fight for the rights of the girl child has been a long drawn battle, and it is still going on. The position of the girl child has improved from yester years but to ensure a 100% literacy rate when it comes to girls is still a war that is being fought even today. Author’s Bio: Anandi Mehta explores the rights of a girl child in this article.
BC Web Wise Pvt Limited, Mahalaxmi Engineering Estate, L. J. Cross Road No.1, Near K.J. Khilnani High School, Mahim (W), Mumbai – 400016, +91 – 22 – 67674000 info@bcwebwise.com| www.bcwebwise.com