'Recognising rights and potential can pave the way for every girl to thrive'

Empowering girls is not just a responsibility but our vision for a brighter future Union Women and Child Development WCD Minister Annapurna Devi said on International Day of the Girl Child on FridayThe International Day of the Girl Child is celebrated annually on October 11 to empower and protect girls worldwide The day also highlights the importance of gender equality education and opportunities for young girlsEmpowering our girls is not just a responsibility it is our vision for a brighter future Annapurna Devi said By recognising their rights and potential we can pave the way for an equitable society where every girl thrives she addedAccording to the latest National Family Health Survey5 NFHS more than one in five young women or 233 per cent in India were married before the age of 18 in the country in 201921 However the female child marriage rates have fallen from 268 per cent in NFHS4 20152016The magnitude of this figure is especially concerning since India is currently estimated to have around 225 million girls below 19 years of age as per the National Commission on PopulationNFHS5 also notes that nearly one in four married or partnered adolescent girls have experienced physical or sexual abuseEven before they are born Indian girls face violence and discrimination from female feticide to infant mortality stigmas around sexual and reproductive health teenage pregnancies and child marriage Population Foundation of India executive director Poonam Muttreja saidAddressing these challenges requires a lifecycle approach It is crucial that we dismantle regressive social norms ensuring girls have equitable access to health services and opportunities throughout their lives she addedGlobally as per the latest UNICEF report over 370 million women and girls or 1 in 8 have experienced sexual violence including rape and assault before the age of 18However when taking noncontact forms of abuse such as online harassment or verbal assault the number rises to 650 million or 1 in 5 said the reportThe staggering statistics underscore the critical need for urgent and comprehensive strategies to prevent and address the widespread violation of childrens rightsldquoRecognising and upholding the rights and opportunities of girls is essential for building a more equitable futurerdquo the Ministry saidIt also listed a comprehensive range of schemes aimed at empowering girls recognising their pivotal role in society The initiatives include Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana among others which underscore efforts to promote gender equality and secure the future of girls by encouraging savings for education and marriageThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever