On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. The day aims to focus on the importance of girls’ education, their rights, and promoting gender equality.
According to the UN, the day focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights.
Adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years, but also as they mature into women. If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world – both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and political leaders.
Everyone should step forward and help in empowering the girl child in every possible way. There is need, as has been correctly underlined by the Lieutenant Governor, to proactively build a system to empower the girl child through quality education. It in-turn will raise their capacity to contribute to the build society strongly.
All the organisations and individuals should provide all support and opportunities to the girls and promote awareness about their rights.
According to the Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2020 released by Registrar General of India (RGI) last year, the Sex Ratio at birth in Jammu and Kashmir has increased from 918 to 921.
The country has enacted a law in 1994 banning prenatal sex determination to curb the selective abortion of female foetuses, driven by a cultural preference for boys.
While consequences of a falling sex ratio are well documented, there is a need to alleviate and bring to an end to the fear of violence which as per a study is a cause for female foeticide. Also the women who give birth to daughters face much more domestic violence which makes them complicit in getting rid of the girl child, the survey says. There is also a need to change the thinking and promote girl children and women in all fields. It is important to note that an investment in realising the power of adolescent girls upholds their rights today and promises a more equitable and prosperous future.
If supported, the girls have the potential to become the empowered girls of today’s and tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and political leaders.
