The National Girl Child Day will be celebrated in India on January 24. The Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India had initiated this celebration in 2008.
Indira Gandhi was sworn in as the first woman PM of the country on January 24, 1966. Hence this happens to be an important day in the history of the country and empowerment of women.
The Beti Bacchao, Beti Padao scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the year 2015 in order to address the issue of declining child sex ratio as also to provide the girl child proper opportunities in the field of education.
The National Girl Child Day is being observed in order to highlight the inequalities faced by girls in the country as also to create awareness about the rights of a girl child and also to protect them.
Poverty and gender-based are the two main challenges that impact the education of the girl child. India has enacted a series of legislations to protect the girl child which include Child Marriage Restraint Act (1929), Immoral Traffic (prevention) Act, 1956, Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 among others.
What is necessary is proper implementation of these laws. There are several issues plaguing the girl child right from infanticide to gender inequality to sexual abuse. All these issues need to be addressed.
