In the year 2008, the Ministry of
Women and Child Development observed the first National Girl Child Day on 24th
January with an aim to highlight inequalities and gender discrimination issues
faced by a girl child at various milestones in her life. Through this
initiative, the Ministry endeavours to spread awareness about the rights of girl
children, including the right to education, nutrition and health.
The theme of the National Girl Child Day 2021
is to raise awareness about the issue of declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR).
Across the country, several events were organised to commemorate this day. The government also put emphasis on Beti Bachao Beti Badhao Scheme and several
other schemes focusing on girl child empowerment on the national girl child
day.
CHILDLINE 1098, India’s one and
only emergency, 24-hour, toll-free helpline for children in distress has left
no stone unturned to celebrate this day. Despite the pandemic, all the
CHILDLINE partners across the country organised several events with all the
COVID-19 protective and social distancing measures.
CHILDLINE plays an important role
in the district level task force constituted for Beti Bachao Beti Badhao Scheme
to advocate and create awareness among the community people. The teams
represent at the district level during the meetings organised for Beti Bachao
Beti Badhao scheme.
On the occasion of the girl child
day, CHILDLINE Faridabad, Haryana organised an event and a meeting for children
in Mirzapur slums. The children danced, created artworks including rangoli to
celebrate the occasion. The CHILDLINE team motivated the children and
distributed several prizes among them. In Jammu and Kashmir, CHILDLINE Anantnag
organised a mass awareness event on the occasion where at least 45 girls along
with the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme) workers, local village
committee members participated. The CHILDLINE team spread awareness about the services of CHILDLINE 1098 and the importance of a girl child and issues faced by
them. CHILDLINE Bundi, Rajasthan celebrated national girl child day with
children from shelter homes and slum areas and conducted a meeting with police
officers on child rights and child issues.
Across 25 districts of Telangana,
CHILDLINE celebrated national girl child’s day on 24th, 25th
and 26th January 2021 through different activities and events. A
total of 351 officials and stakeholders from allied departments including ICDS
and Panchayat Raj along with 1326 children and 602 adults participated.
CHILDLINE Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh organised a National Girl Child Day
programme at a shelter home in a village. Through this programme, the team
discussed the CHILDLINE 1098 services, the importance of girl child education
and the disadvantages of child marriage.
In
Maharashtra, CHILDLINE Dhule celebrated the national girl child day in a
special abled girl’s shelter home. The chief guests of the programme guided the
girls about the objectives and the importance of the girl’s rights and education. In
Kolhapur, CHILDLINE celebrated the girl child day in Ingavale Mala, Kuchkovari
with 36 children.
In
West Bengal, almost all the districts celebrated the national girl child day
with great pomp and splendour. CHILDLINE Alipurduar distributed winter clothes
among the children. An open house programme was organised by CHILDLINE
Darjeeling at a school in Kurseong. Railway CHILDLINE Asansol also conducted an
open house programme with the nearby local children. In the CHILDLINE advisory
board meeting of 2020-21 in Bishnupur, West Bengal, Beti Bacchao Beti Padhao
campaign was flagged off, link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXc0SAPcl4k
