Marked on 24 January, NATIONAL GIRL CHILD DAY highlights the importance of empowering girls for a sustainable future writes VISHWAJEET GHOSHAL
National Girl Child Day, observed annually on 24 January since 2008 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, was instituted to promote awareness of girls’ rights, empowerment, and equal opportunities. Yet the day must also serve as a moment of honest introspection—an opportunity to assess where India truly stands on the status of its daughters.
Economist Amartya Sen’s theory of entitlement offers a stark lens through which to view the girl child’s reality in India. As Sen argued, deprivation is not merely about poverty but about unequal access to resources within households. Across social classes, girls routinely receive fewer entitlements than boys—less nutrition, poorer healthcare, and limited educational investment. This discrimination begins early in life and often persists into adulthood, contributing to widespread anaemia, malnutrition, and poor health outcomes among women.
Progress, but with Persistent Gaps
Since Independence, India has made undeniable progress. Women have risen to the highest constitutional offices and excelled across politics, science, business, and sports—from Indira Gandhi and Pratibha Patil to Kalpana Chawla, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, P. V. Sindhu, Mary Kom, and Harmanpreet Kaur. These achievements reflect the gradual dismantling of long-standing gender barriers.
Health indicators have also improved. Infant mortality has declined to about 25–26 per 1,000 live births, and under-five mortality to around 29 per 1,000. Gender gaps in mortality have narrowed, yet India remains one of the few large countries where more girls than boys die in early childhood—an unmistakable sign of continuing bias in care and survival. Education has seen notable gains, with near gender parity in enrolment and falling dropout rates at the primary and secondary levels.
However, these advances coexist with stubborn challenges. Anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies among adolescent girls remain alarmingly high. Stunting, low birth weight, and poor nutrition continue to undermine long-term health and productivity, eroding the gains made in survival and schooling.
Deep-Rooted Biases and Structural Inequality
Despite progressive legislation, socio-cultural norms—son preference, economic insecurity, and entrenched patriarchy—continue to shape decisions around education, marriage, and mobility. Girls from rural and low-income households face disproportionate risks of early marriage, curtailed schooling, and limited economic participation.
India is home to nearly 253 million girls and adolescent girls, according to UNICEF, yet the sex ratio at birth stands at 929 girls per 1,000 boys (NFHS-5). Harmful practices such as female foeticide, infanticide, child marriage, and dowry persist, denying many girls even the most basic childhood experiences.
Female foeticide and infanticide remain prevalent in several States, including Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Maharashtra. Technologies intended for prenatal health screening—such as ultrasonography—continue to be misused for sex determination, despite strict enforcement under the PCPNDT Act. Haryana alone has registered over 1,200 FIRs and more than 4,000 arrests since 2014, underscoring both the scale of the problem and the limits of enforcement.
Child Marriage: Progress, but Uneven
India has committed to eliminating child marriage by 2030 under the Sustainable Development Goals. NFHS data show a decline—from 47.4% in 2005–06 to 23.3% in 2019–21—but progress remains uneven across regions. Rates remain highest in West Bengal, Bihar, and Tripura, followed by Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
The link between poverty, education, and child marriage is unequivocal. UNFPA analysis shows that 40% of girls from the poorest households marry before adulthood, compared to just 8% from the wealthiest. Nearly half of girls with no education marry before 18, versus only 4% among those with higher education.
While the Prevention of Child Marriage Act, 2006 provides a legal framework, enforcement and conviction rates remain low. At the same time, the rigid application of laws such as POCSO—without distinguishing between exploitation and consensual adolescent relationships—has at times produced unintended harms, pushing vulnerable girls toward unsafe medical and social spaces.
Violence, Trafficking, and Exploitation
India’s constitutional guarantees and international commitments—under the UDHR and the Convention on the Rights of the Child—are reflected in a robust legal architecture, including the POCSO Act, the Juvenile Justice Act, the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, and provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Yet NCRB data paint a troubling picture. In 2023, India recorded 1,77,335 crimes against children, a 9.2% increase over the previous year. Kidnapping and abduction accounted for nearly 80,000 cases, while POCSO cases—mostly involving girls—comprised over 38% of total crimes against children.
The trafficking of minor girls for sexual exploitation represents one of the gravest violations of constitutional and human rights. Driven by organised crime and high profits, child trafficking now rivals drug and arms trafficking in scale. Poverty, low literacy, early marriage, and weak social protection continue to heighten girls’ vulnerability.
Rethinking Policy and Practice
Observances of National Girl Child Day 2026 across States—through initiatives such as Madhya Pradesh’s PANKH Abhiyan and Rajasthan’s LADO Samvad—reflect renewed political and public engagement. But symbolism must translate into sustained action.
Flagship schemes such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Poshan Abhiyaan, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls require sharper targeting, better convergence, and stronger accountability. Nutrition programmes must move beyond cereal-centric diets toward protein- and micronutrient-rich food. Skill development pathways for adolescent girls must be aligned with employability and livelihoods.
Equally critical is prevention—through community-based interventions, caregiver support, safe schooling environments, life-skills education, and platforms that amplify children’s voices and participation.
A National Imperative
National Girl Child Day is not merely commemorative. It is a reminder that empowering girls is fundamental to India’s democratic, economic, and social future. The promise of equality enshrined in the Constitution can only be realised when every girl is allowed to be born, protected, educated, and enabled to lead.
Bridging the gap between policy intent and lived reality demands integrated action—addressing poverty, education, nutrition, safety, and gender norms together. Only then can India ensure that its daughters not only survive, but thrive.
(Writer is Co-Founder and COO of Children Unbound Foundation. View are Personal)