3 ways to make India a better place for every girl child
On 24th January, 2016, India celebrated its ninth National Girl Child Day - an initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development. This day has been chalked out in the dream of creating a gender equal society that welcomes the birth of a girl child, and ensures a happy, healthy and safe life for her. While the Government can draft policies and pass legislations, it definitely needs its citizens to come together to fulfil any dream. Here are a few things that we as a society need to implement to work towards this goal:
Change the way we treat the girl child at home
While we want a positive change in our society, we forget that we make the society. If each of us indeed wants to change society, we need to begin this cycle of change from us, and from our homes. Treat the girl children with respect, love and affection at home. The girl child is a child first, and then a girl. Give her a safe and healthy childhood environment and watch her blossom into adulthood.
Children often learn through modelling; if you are a parent or a caregiver to a child, instil values of gender equality right from their infancy. Teach them to break gender stereotypes. If children see adults around them being partial towards boys, they will grow up to believe that this is how the world works.
Share the household work between yourself and your spouse and see your children growing up to dismantle myths about gender roles! It is true that biology separates boys and girls, but the human experience definitely brings them together. Biological differences should never be an excuse to perpetrate inequality!
Send the girl child back to School
Whoever can deny the benefits of a good education in today’s world? Schools are not only centres of learning, but also became the spaces where children interact with their peers and other social groups. A girl child has the basic right to education just as any other child in India has. Biological and social phenomenon like puberty and marriage should not be a hindrance to the pursuit of knowledge. Though there is constant pressure about getting a girl married at the earliest to ‘get rid’ of the burden, a good education is far more important and lasts a lifetime. Marriage and procreation are not the ultimate goals of female lives. A good education has the potential for financial independence, which can be life-changing for our girls.
Teach the girl child about her body
Growing up, we all have had several questions about our own anatomy. However, most of them went unanswered and we were left to find out the answers on our own. While puberty is a natural phenomenon that occurs in both girls and boys, the experience is vastly different for each sex. With menstruation and other associated pubertal changes happening in a frenzy, girls need to be taught about their own biology. Several girls grow up to become adults, have marital relationships and even give birth to children without the slightest information about the female reproductive system! This information will empower them in ways beyond our immediate understanding. Teach them to respect their bodies, instead of shaming it. If we don’t respect our bodies, who else will?
These are just a few ways we can begin to change our society and the way it treats the girl children. What are your views on this? What more do you think should we do? Share your views on our Facebook and Twitter pages, or write to us at jaagorein@gmail.com.
Disclaimer:
Views expressed here are of the expert alone, and do not necessarily represent that of the brand.
More about the Experts:
Share this story on
