The Global Debate- International Day of the Girl Child | Gist of Rajya Sabha TV / RSTV (now Sansad TV) - UPSC PDF Download

Economic Empowerment:

• Women/girls in agriculture – ensuring land rights; inheritance / share in parental property; individual / group titles to women in all government land transfers; credit support to women to purchase or lease land; records and legal support for women inheritance rights.
• Women/young girls in unorganized sector – provision of social security, leave, wages, working conditions, pensions, health benefits, maternity benefits, housing childcare, safety and occupational health etc.
• Women in services sector where there is poor gender ratio, improving women’s participation, special tax incentives for women headed enterprises, women employees, women entrepreneurial ventures etc.
• Promotion of skill development / vocational training/ training in traditional skills, and in other trades which promote employment of women especially in unorganized sector.
• Construction/ Facilitating amenities for rural and urban poor women – toilets / housing / drinking water facilities.
• Work towards promoting young talent in particular young entrepreneurs.
• Working to promote women and girls in the field of science and technology
• Demonstrates work and dedication in elevating the status of women in the society.

Social Empowerment:

• Promotion of access to healthcare for women including mental health, empowerment through information regarding health, sexuality – institutional deliveries, preventive care for diseases etc.
• Curbing violence/ discrimination against women – sexual, communal or sectarian – at homes, work places and public place.
• Promoting value of girl child: improving child sex ratio.
• Promotion of education of girls and women at all levels – bridging gender gaps.
• Women and Media – Dissemination of women’s issues to make a positive impact on lives of women and girls, curtailing harmful effects of T.V on women’s lives through gender – informed media policy promoting – message of gender equity through positive programming and information dissemination on laws and schemes.
• Working towards up-liftment of the vulnerable and disadvantaged, zero tolerance for discrimination against SC/ST women. Reaching out to marginalized and vulnerable women including minority women, women with disabilities and internally displaced women due to social strife.
• Encourage women to hold leadership roles and promote women in decision making.
• Have demonstrated ability to work with women and girls and men and boys as a team to work towards betterment of the society.
• Effective implementation of women related legislations such as Dowry Prohibition Act, Domestic Violence Act, PC-PNDT Act and Immoral Traffic Act.
• Contribution in Gender mainstreaming and strengthening delivery systems through State Commissions for Women, District Legal Service Authorities etc.
• Have made efforts towards environment protection, promotion of art, culture and Indian heritage.
• Positive actions carried out by villages/groups in favour of women & girls.

Way Forward:

• We need to provide children with greater parental guidance.
• In families, there should also be a relationship of authority and respect between parents and their children.
• Women should be respected at home. When women are respected at home, then children also learn about the importance of respecting women. Parents cannot treat their sons and daughters differently.
• People should be made about Zero FIR.
• The state has to work towards making people aware of laws like POCSO Act, Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act etc. The state should also make the penalties of not abiding by these laws clear to the public.
• Gender-sensitization programmes should also be started for males of family, police personnel, medical fraternity etc. Police apathy, especially when a woman approaches the police should be worked upon.
• Encourage and adopt family focused practices that promote equal access for both girls and boys to high quality education, and ensure opportunities to successfully complete schooling, and to making educational choices
• Students should be taught to engage in community activities so that they understand realities and also understand how to cope up with realities. Community get-togethers should also be encouraged so that people get to know each other. Neighbours should also get to know their neighbours. Community activities should be encouraged.