NATIONAL GIRL CHILD DAY 2024

Disclaimer: Copyright infringement not intended.

Context

On 24 Jan 2024, India celebrated the National Girl Child Day.

Details

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development launched the day in 2008.
• Three main objectives:
  1. Promoting gender equality
  2. Empowering girls
  3. Protecting girl’s rights
• It also marks the anniversary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Scheme.
• The initiative is jointly run by the Ministries of Health, Education and WCD.

Themes

• The theme for 2019 was 'Empowering Girls for a Brighter Tomorrow.'
• 2020 theme: 'My Voice, Our Common Future.'
• 2021 theme: 'Digital Generation, Our Generation.'
• Theme for 2024 not yet announced.

International Day of the Girl Child

• Declared by the United Nations, also known as the Day of Girls and the International Day of the Girl.
• Inaugural celebration on October 11, 2012.
• Aims to provide more opportunities for girls and raise awareness of gender inequality faced globally.

Global data:

• Over 62 million girls lacked access to education (c. 2014, according to USAID).
• Girls aged 5 to 14 spend over 160 million hours more on household chores than boys.
• One in four girls globally is married before age 18.

History:

• Initiated by Plan International, a global NGO, through the Because I Am a Girl campaign.
• Proposed as a resolution by Canada in the United Nations General Assembly.
• Adopted on December 19, 2011, designating October 11, 2012, as the first International Day of Girls.

UN Resolution:

• Recognizes the empowerment and investment in girls as critical for economic growth and achieving development goals.
• Emphasizes the importance of active participation by girls in decision-making processes.

Annual Themes:

Article 6 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child (CRC)

• Affirms the right of all children to live and develop to their fullest potential.
• Places responsibility on governments to ensure each child's survival and development.
• Special emphasis on:
  • Proper medical care.
  • Nutritious food.
  • Safe drinking water.
  • Access to a clean and safe environment.

Issues Related to Girl Child

Female Infanticide and Foeticide:

• India has one of the highest rates of female foeticide globally.
• Reasons include strong son preference, dowry practices, and the patrilineal necessity of heir.
• The 2011 census recorded the lowest sex ratio of 914 in the age group 0-6 years, with 3 million missing girls.

Child Marriage:

• At least 1.5 million girls under 18 get married in India annually.
• India is home to the largest number of child brides globally, accounting for a third of the total.
• Nearly 16% of adolescent girls aged 15-19 are currently married.
• Marginal decline in child marriage from 27% in 2015-16 to 23% in 2019-20 (NFHS-5).

Education:

• Girls are encouraged to engage more in household work, leading to early school dropout.
• Girls out of school are 3.4 times more likely to be married or have their marriage fixed.

Health and Mortality:

• Discrimination against girls in India results in unequal opportunities.
• Under-five mortality for girls is 8.3% higher than for boys.

Girl Child Trafficking:

• Described by UNICEF as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of a person under 18 for exploitation.
• Girls trafficked for various purposes, including prostitution, household work, labor, begging, marriages, and organ trafficking.

Abuse, Exploitation, and Violence:

• Girls are vulnerable to abuse, assault, and exploitation both inside and outside the home.
• Increase in crimes against girls over time, with many cases going unreported.
• Girls subjected to rape, trafficking, sexual exploitation, child labor, and beggary.

Discrimination and Gender Bias:

• Cruel neglect of the girl child supported by religious and traditional practices.
• Malnourishment due to social bias favoring sons.
• Gender bias continues into adolescence affecting decision-making, career choices, and marriage.

Steps taken by the Government

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao:

• Launched in 2015 to address sex-selective abortion and the declining child sex ratio (CSR).
• Aims to protect girls and promote girl-child education.

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana:

• Launched in 2015 to promote the welfare of girl children.
• Encourages parents to invest for the future studies and marriage expenses of their daughters.

CBSE Udaan Scheme:

• Launched to address the low enrollment of girl students in prestigious engineering institutions.
• Provides free course material, online resources, and weekend virtual courses for girls.

National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education (NSIGSE):

• Launched in 2008 to promote enrollment of girl children in the age group of 14-18 at the secondary stage.
• Encourages the secondary education of girls, especially those who passed Class VIII.

Scheme for Adolescent Girls:

• Aims to facilitate, educate, and empower adolescent girls for self-reliance.
• Focuses on improving sex ratio, female education, preventing child marriage, health, nutrition, hygiene, and preventing child labor.

Various Acts and Initiatives:

• Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act: To prevent sex-selective abortions.
• Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006: Prevents marriage of girls below 18 years.
• Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012: Provides strict punitive action in case of sexual abuse against children.
• The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016: Ensures girls are not engaged in child labor practices.

Human Trafficking Prevention:

• Ujjawala Scheme: Aims to prevent, rescue, and rehabilitate trafficked girls.

Health and Nutrition:

• Supplying iron and folic acid tablets, Kishori Shakti Yojana, POSHAN abhiyan, Mid-day meal scheme: Ensure sufficient nutrition for girl child.
• Ujjwala sanitary napkin under Suvidha scheme: Supports menstrual hygiene among girls. 

Initiatives against Gender Bias:

• Various state-specific initiatives like Ladli Scheme, Kanya Kosh Scheme, Ladli Laxmi Yojana, etc.: Aimed at improving sex ratio, discouraging female foeticide, and providing financial support to families with girl children.

Best Investment Schemes for Girl Child in India

• Balika Samridhhi Yojana: Provides financial support to girls and their families living in poverty.
• Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: Government-sponsored savings program for parents of girl children, addressing future expenses.
• Ladli Scheme and Kanya Kosh Scheme: State-specific initiatives providing financial rewards and support to families with girl children.
• National Scheme of Incentive for the Girls of Secondary Education: Encourages girls from deprived classes to complete their secondary education.
• Ladli Laxmi Yojana of Madhya Pradesh: Aims to improve the health and educational status of girls, discouraging female foeticide.
• Karnataka Bhagyashree Scheme: Offers financial aid to girl children in low-income households.
• Mazi Kanya Bhagyashree Scheme from the Government of Maharashtra: Focuses on improving the lives of girls from low-income families.
• Chief Minister's Girl Child Protection Scheme of Tamil Nadu: Aims to prevent gender inequality and secure the rights of girl children.

Girl child related Quotes

• "The empowered woman is powerful beyond measure and beautiful beyond description." - Steve Maraboli
• "Girls should never be afraid to be smart." - Emma Watson
• "When girls are educated, their countries become stronger and more prosperous." - Michelle Obama
• "If one man can destroy everything, why can't one girl change it?" - Malala Yousafzai
• "Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world." - Marilyn Monroe

MUST READ ARTICLES:

https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/national-girl-child-day-5