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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:

Year	Theme
2012	Ending Child Marriage
2013	Innovating for Girls' Education
2014	Empowering Adolescent Girls
2015	The Power of Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030
2016	Girls' Progress = Goals' Progress
2017	EmPOWER Girls: Before, during and after crises
2018	With Her: A Skilled Girl Force
2019	GirlForce: Unscripted and Unstoppable
2020	My voice, our equal future
2021	Digital generation. Our generation
2022	Our time is now — Our rights, Our future
2023	Invest in Girls' Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-being

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 

PRACTICE QUESTION  Q.  Despite various government schemes and initiatives, the girl child in India continues to face multifaceted challenges. Discuss the major issues confronting the girl child in the country, analyze the effectiveness of existing policies, and propose measures to enhance the well-being and empowerment of the girl child in India. Support your answer with relevant data and examples. (250 Words)