The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR),a statutory body constituted by the Government of India under section (3) of the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005,working under the aegis of Ministry of Women and Child Development, Govt of India, organised a webinar on “Legal Rights of Girl Child” today to commemorate “National Girl Child Day”in the backdrop of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
Shri Priyank Kanoongo,Chairperson, NCPCRin his welcome speech said that celebrating National Girl Child Day is not a formality anymore as we all have progressed in last few years in reaching out to every girl child to ensure their legal rights. The girls of our country have progressed with swiftness to make their mark felt in front of the entire world and proved that they are equal to all. He mentioned about the significant milestone achieved by our country as for the first time in history, the population of females is higher than the males. Chairperson, NCPCR also emphasized on the combined efforts of the Government and the people in bringing a change in the society. He said that it is very important for the girls to get full potential, safe and enabling environment. Girls should be aware of all their legal rights and the facts of life. Chairperson, NCPCR expressed his gratitude towards Hon’ble Justice KS Jhaveri for taking his time out for the webinar.
Shri Kalpesh Satyendra Jhaveri, former Chief Justice of Odisha High Court was the main speaker of the webinar. He began his speech by saying that “When you educate a girl, you educate a nation”. An educated woman has the power to educate the whole family, without her, there is no tomorrow. He further said that it is necessary to remove different types of social discrimination and exploitation that girls generally face in their life. He provided information on legal rights of a girl child and laws for protecting the rights and entitlements of a girl child to the viewers. He also highlighted on the existing Government schemes like BetiBachaoBetiPadhao for ensuring a girl child is provided with an opportunity to get an education. To provide a girl child a healthy and secure environment to live and grow, it is essential to achieve peaceful societies with full human potential and sustainable development, he added.
The National Girl Child Day was first initiated in 2008 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Govt of India. Every year it is celebrated on January 24 with an objective to provide support and opportunities to girls of India. It aims towards promoting mass awareness to empower the daughters of our country.