CONDITION OF THE GIRL CHILD- ENGLISH
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THE
GIRL CHILD : NEED FOR SPECIAL ATTENTION-
•
The
issue of girl child rights and protection in India is a very
serious concern. Not only girls but the woman as such continues to be
discriminated. The sex bias is more among uneducated and socially backward
class. Right from her arrival, she faces discrimination, humiliation, and
oppression at every stage of life. When it comes to healthcare, education and
growth opportunities, she is neglected because of her gender.
•
The
girl child if manages to survive all the discrimination and crime against her,
grows up and show discrimination against her own female children because of
molding in her attitude during the survival process. This cycle goes on and
hard to break.
ISSUES
RELATED TO THE GIRL CHILD-
The
main issues/problems are:
-Female infanticide/foeticide -Nutritional deficiency
-Morbidity and mortality -Educational
status
-Abuse and neglect -Girl
child labour
FEMALE
INFANTICIDE/FOETICIDE-
•
Female infanticide is a heinous crime. In simple terms,
it is a deliberate attempt to kill newborn female children within one year of
their birth. It is a century old phenomena caused by social evils likes
poverty, illiteracy, child marriage, dowry system. Discrimination against the
girl child begins even before her birth which results in female foeticide. female
foeticide: a gender-selective abortion where a female fetus
is illegally terminated solely based on the reason that the fetus is a girl.
•
Female
feticide is driven by many factors, but primarily by the prospect of having to
pay a dowry to the future bridegroom of a daughter. While sons offer security
to their families in old age and can perform the rites for the souls of
deceased parents and ancestors, daughters are perceived as a social and
economic burden. Prenatal sex detection technologies have been misused. While
abortion is legal in India, it is a crime to abort a pregnancy solely because
the fetus is female. Strict laws and penalties are in place for violators.
NUTRITIONAL
DEFICIENCY-
•
on
an average nutritional status of the girl child is poorer than of the boys. A
girl child passes through various developmental periods during her womanhood
such as adolescence period, pregnancy, motherhood, lactation period etc. Widespread
nutrition deprivation perpetuates in inter-generational cycle of nutrition
deprivation in children. under nourished girl child grows up to become an under
nourished woman.
•
The
girl child with great under nutritional problems suffer from lesser immunity
syndromes such as diarrhea , jaundice , pneumonia, malaria, measles and other
communicable diseases as well. Approximately 50 % girls in India suffer from
anemia and other nutritional deficiency diseases. Poor nutritional status leads
to poor growth and development.
MORBIDITY
AND MORTALITY-
•
The
medical needs of the girl child normally are ignored this leads to serious
complications later. Poor nutritional status add up to poor immunity in the
girls. The girls suffer from nutritional deficiency diseases, communicable
diseases etc. Even infant mortality rate and underfive mortality rates are
higher in girls than in boys.
EDUCATIONAL
STATUS-
•
Educating
the girls is the best investment a nation can make for its bright future yet
education of girls in India presents bad picture. A large proportion of girls
specially in rural areas never get enrolled in the school, thoses who do so
show high dropout rate. Recent national data reveals that the dropout rate for
girls at the elementary level are 4.10% which rises to 16.88% at the secondary
level
•
Due
to existing attitudes regarding girls’ education, safety concerns, distance
between home and school, social apathy related to co-education, lack of
affordable sanitary napkins, absence of separate and functional toilets, and
poor school infrastructure, several teenage girls tend to become irregular
in attending schools or drop out before completing their schooling.
ABUSE
AND NEGLECT-
•
Mostly
neglect occurs in one or more area such as: health, education, emotional
development, nutrition and shelter. ‘Girl child maltreatment’ sometimes
referred to as girl child abuse and neglect, includes all forms of physical and
emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation that results
in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, development or dignity.
•
Within
this broad definition, five subtypes can be distinguished—physical abuse;
sexual abuse; neglect and negligent treatment; emotional abuse; and
exploitation. As adults, it is our responsibility to observe child behaviour
and encourage them to speak up. Always put child first (give priority over all
other important work), do not ignore the situation.
THE
GIRL CHILD LABOUR-
•
There
is little documentation on girl child labour, which can also be seen as an
evidence of the invisibility of her labour though it contributes so widely to
the family, community and the society at large.
Worldwide domestic and household work is very often not seen as work as
such. Also, if a girl helps her mother in the household, it is in most parts
unrecognized because home-based work is seen as an unskilled nature with low
status.
•
Possible
reasons why employers prefer female child labourer to male child labourers
includes that they are seen as more domesticable, timid, compliant, loyal,
responsible and stable. They do not waste time chatting, nor do they take
frequent breaks, as they usually have no addictions or vices. They are able to
sit quietly in one place and are more hardworking and obedient than boys.
•
Their
lack of educational or vocational training, due to the preference given to
boys, blocks their ability to move upward. Because she lacks education, she has
less possibility on the labour market and is only given low-paid and unskilled
jobs. The situation of the girl child labourer is particularly alarming
due to the gender discrimination in large parts of Indian societies. They
are exploited more than the boys.
MEASURES
TO IMPROVE THE CONDITION OF THE GIRL CHILD-
•
Improving
the condition of girl child requires long term coordinated action which
involves many stakeholders such as the
government, educational institutions, mass media, NGOs and community-based
organizations. Government of India has
initiated several welfare programs aimed at happy and healthy girl child.
ECONOMIC
MEASURES-
•
It
is important that proper measures are taken to incentivize people who have
daughters. For example, they can be given more priority while determining work opportunities
as part of various rural employment schemes. Families that have daughters can
have joint accounts opened in the name of the parents at nearby government
banks and the central or state governments or both can be asked to contribute
definite amounts at fixed intervals so that the basic needs of these families
are taken care of.
PROVIDING
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES-
•
There
should be no discrimination on the basis of gender. Girls should be given equal
opportunities as boys. More stress should be on welfare of girl children so as
to enable them to avail these equal opportunities. Girls should get equal
opportunity to compete for each job and should be offered equal pay for equal
work. Handicapped and socially deprived girls should be given job opportunity
on preferential basis.
EDUCATIONAL
MEASURES-
•
The
Indian government has already ensured that it provides basic primary education
for all till the age of 14. The government should ensure that girls get to
study more or as far as they wish to. For this, their education till the
graduation level should be provided for free especially in the backward areas.
More women only heigher education institutions should be made operational.
SOCIAL
AWARNESS-
•
Awareness
should be spread about various aspects of the girl child in following ways-
•
Posters
may be fixed at prominent parts of localities.
•
Circulation
of printouts in various local languages.
•
TV/radio
talks and street palys focusing on various issues related to girl child with
stress on solutions
•
Disscussions,seminars
by local bodies at all levels to ensure participation at grassroot level.
NUTRITIONAL
MEASURES-
•
Midday
meal program is a key in preventing nutrition deficiency diseases as well as to
encourage schooling of girls as well as boys.
•
A
special supplementation program should be started for malnourished girls.
•
Vitamin
D supplementation should be given as per need in the community to prevent
rickets specially in girls.
•
National
deworming day is also a very good initiative where tab albendazole is given to
children to get rid of worms. In some states iron tablets are also given to
prevent anaemia.
SPECIAL
ATTENTION TO GIRLS DURING HOME VISITS-
•
During
home visits by the community health workers, stress should be given on health
status of the girls who may otherwise be neglected by their families. During
every visit nutritional status should be checked. Health education regarding
personal hygiene and menstrual hygiene should be provided. Family should be
encouraged to visit the health center with the girl child if any disease is
found for further checkup.
ADOPTION
OF GIRLS-
•
The
general public should be motivated for adoption of girls and specially
handicapped ones. Mass adoption of girls either grom a school or a community by
NGO or an industrial house should also
be promoted. By this we can provide better life to orphan girls.
LEGAL
PROTECTION-
•
There
are various laws which protect girls children from exploitation. Such as-
•
The
Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006
•
Dowry
Prohibition Act, 1961
•
The
child labour prohibition Act 1986
•
Medical
Termination of Pregnancy Act,1971
Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013
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