Rights of the girl child in India : struggle for existence and well-being

Children were practically considered the private property of parents, and their status never seen fit for public discussion, till the middle of the twentieth century. As children are defenseless and easy to target, they suffer the most in any crisis, be it war, natural disaster or any other type of crime or calamity. Among children, however, the girl child suffers even more, as she faces double discrimination because of her tender age and her gender. In the mid-1990s, instances of reported abuse of girls in the form of foeticide, infanticide, prostitution and sexual exploitation, especially in zones of war and ethnic cleansing such as the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, became rampant. This led to the girl child receiving separate identification as a group for the first time in the Beijing Declaration of the 4th UN World Conference on Women in 1995. In India, the status and treatment of girls in society ranges between inadequate and deplorable, with the girl child being victimized in several ways. This book focuses on both the development (through enhancement of the nutritional, educational and health status) and welfare (through freedom from physical and psychosocial stress due to deprivation, exploitation and the resultant feelings of inferiority and low self-esteem) aspects of the girl child’s existence. It covers in detail all facets of the well-being of the girl child that are of concern to governments as well as international organizations. It explains in detail the challenges faced by government and non-governmental organizations in implementing any welfare and development initiatives for girls, including the discriminatory social norms impacting programme and policy implementation. It closely explores the differences between the theory and practice aspects of prevalent governmental programmes and policies. In the concluding parts, the book makes several policy recommendations and also seeks to lay out a future roadmap for the well-being of girls in India. "In India, the status and treatment of girls in society ranges from inadequate to deplorable, with the girl child being victimized in several ways. Rights of the Girl Child in India focuses on all aspects of the girl child's existence-including her suffering due to both childism and sexism, status in Indian society, specific vulnerabilities, and the legal and human rights scenario. It covers in detail the facets of well-being of the girl child that are of concern to governments as well as international organizations. This book explains the challenges in executing any welfare and development initiatives for girls, including the discriminatory social norms impacting programme and policy implementation. It also closely explores the differences between the theory and practical aspects of prevalent governmental programmes and policies. In the concluding parts, the book makes several policy recommendations and also seeks to lay out a future road map for the well-being of the girl child in India. Nitu Kumari is Assistant Professor at Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur"-- Provided by publisher Cover Contents List of Abbreviations Introduction Chapter 1: Defining Childhood Chapter 2 : The Status of the Girl Child Chapter 3 : The Girl Child as a Vulnerable Segment in India Chapter 4 : Law and Legal Discourses Chapter 5 : Cultural Relativism and Violation of Human Rights of Girls and Women Conclusion References About the Author Index This book presents the rights of the girl child as unique and her development and well-being as essential for India’s development as a nation.