National Girl Child Day of India is celebrated every year on 24th of January. It was first started by Indian Ministry of Women and Child Development on January 4, 2008. Later, the date of observation of this day was changed to January 24 because on this date in year 1966, late Indira Gandhi became first woman PM of the nation.In India, girls are considered second form of goddess that’s why there’s a ritual called “Kanjak Puja”. Kanjak Puja is a religious ritual in which people worship nine little girls as the nine forms of Goddess Durga. By doing it, they believe that they get goddess’ blessings which will bring prosperity and good luck in their family. It is unbelievable and sad to know that in a country where girls are worshipped like Goddess, female foeticide and violence against women and girls still exist.
Many people see girls as burdens, but they don’t think that if there were no girls, they would have never taken birth. If girls don’t exist, this world will not exist. Our nation is proud of the women and girls who enlightened its name in the whole world with their achievements in different fields. Those girls were not different or only ones of their kinds. They were girls too, just like any other girls, but they didn’t let the orthodox thinking of society cut their feathers. They showed to the world that if girls are given opportunity to shape their talent and are provided better education opportunities, they can become capable enough to even run this whole world.
Why is National Girl Child Day Celebrated?
Even after giving equality by law to females, there are still many places where girls are discriminated. Spreading awareness regarding girls’ rights and their importance was necessary. This necessity brought National Girls Child Day into existence. On this day, many non-profit organizations conduct seminars and also start indicatives for the welfare of girl children.
The Issues Faced by Girls and Women in our Society should end
Domestic violence, Abuse, Rape, Dowry, Acid Attack, Girl Child Marriage, Deprivation from basic rights such as property ownership, Illiteracy, Malnourishment, Female Foeticide, Gender Pay Gap, Racism, Economic Inequality etc. are the social issues which today’s girls face. Tackling and eliminating these issues is today’s need. Unlike earlier times, today’s girls and women have equal rights as boys and men. They even work in male-oriented jobs. Huge corporations and industries are handles by women these days. Women surpass men in many fields. Even after being skilled, powerful and capable, women and girls are seen as inferiors. If this goes on, the existence of women might be in danger in future. We have to put an end to violence and discrimination against women and girls.
How should Parents Bring up their Daughters?
DeraSacha Sauda has been working towards women empowerment since a long time. Revered Saint, Saint Dr. MSG Insanwho is the spiritual leader of Dera Sacha Sauda has initiated many campaigns for empowering women and uprooting gender bias. HE motivates parents to not give mistreatments to their daughters. Guru Ji says that girls should be provided good education and should be taught moral values. They should be helped in getting strong mentally and physically, so that they do not get scared while facing any challenges or problems. If boys can be brave then girls can also be brave. When girls hear since childhood that they are weak and cannot do anything on their own, there is no way they will grow up to be brave and independent.It is parents’ responsibility to give their daughters such an upbringing which does not hinder their mental and physical growth.
Women Empowerment Initiatives by Dera Sacha Sauda
Dera Sacha Sauda celebrates everyday as Girl Child Day by initiating drives for women empowerment. The following is the list of some of the welfare worksbeing done by Dera Sacha Saudafor Women Empowerment:
- Royal Daughters: This campaign was initiated by Revered Saint, Saint Dr. MSG Insan to stop female foeticide and gender discrimination. HE has made more than 65 million people pledge to never indulge in female foeticide or to treat their daughters as inferiors than boys. “Royal Daughters” is the name given to those girls whom Guru Ji adopted and gave them HIS name. Those girls were to be killed before or after their birth, but Revered Saint, Saint Dr. MSG Insan saved their lives. These girls live in good facilities, get higher education and bring laurels to the nation in sports and studies.
- The Bud of Knowledge: Girls’ illiteracy ratio is more than boys’ illiteracy ratio. Its main cause is gender discrimination. Many parents think that girls are not supposed to study and should stay behind four walls of the house. To break free girls from this orthodox thinking of such people, Revered Saint, Saint Dr. MSG Insan initiated this initiative. DeraSacha Sauda provides free of cost education to girls from financially weak families. They also encourage all to let their daughters study.
- Empowered Women: Rise in crimes against women demands women and girls to become able to protect themselves when the need arises. Therefore, Revered Saint, Saint Dr. MSG Insan started campaign of providing free self – defense training to girls. Free self – defense training centers are opened by Dera Sacha Sauda for girls. In these centers, girls learn various techniques to defend themselves against any violence or abuse.
- Self-Esteem: Where today’s many women are handling major businesses and are self-dependent, there are still many women who have to depend on their male family members for their household and other basic expenses. It does a great damage to these women’s self-esteem. To uplift their self-esteem and to make them financially independent, Revered Saint, Saint Dr. MSG Insan’s followers open free vocational training centers for females. They learn skills such as stitching, weaving etc. from these centers. This vocational education enables them to earn their own income.
- Save Womanhood: The women who are helpless and poor are helped by Dera Sacha Sauda through this initiative. They are provided food and assistance in other basic necessities by Dera Sacha Sauda followers.
- Anticipated Life:Many women whose husbands die at young age live alone while facing so many difficulties. Many people see them with the eyes of hatred as if they were the reason of their husbands’ demise. Revered Saint, Saint Dr. MSG Insan has changed such people’s mindset by initiating “Anticipated Life” campaign. Under this initiative, Dera Sacha Sauda helps young widows in getting married again. Their marriages are arranged with well-educated and wise boys of marriageable age who marry them with their own will.
- Blessings: It is hard for financially weak parents to get their daughters married. That’s why, Dera Sacha Sauda followers help such girls in arranging their marriages on their own expenses.
- The New Morn: Getting divorced is another issue faced by women. The reasons of young women getting divorced can be many, but one of the most spotted reasons is domestic violence. The women who get divorced at young age are helped to marryagain by Dera Sacha Sauda.
- Sorrow Free Journey: In a society where girls are discriminated, it’s difficult for those girls to even survive who are physically challenged. On single call of Revered Saint, Saint Dr. MSG Insan, many well-educated boys of marriageable age have come forward to marry those girls who are physically disabled. Such many marriages have already happened in Dera Sacha Sauda. These boys have been given the name “Devout Warriors” because of their courage.
- Respect Motherhood: If a mother is healthy, her child is healthy. Unluckily, pregnant women from extremely poor families cannot afford to eat nutritious food and cannot have necessarycheckups.Dera Sacha Sauda arranges for nutritious food and medical treatments for such women.
- Mother Child Guardians: Dera Sacha Sauda provides nutritious food and proper care to poor pregnant women and to their newly born babies when their babies are born. They provide their assistance to the new mothers and their newly born babies until the babies grow up to some extent.
- Shubh Devi: Prostitution is also a social evil which ruins lives of many girls. Revered Saint, Saint Dr. MSG Insan has started a great initiative to uproot this evil from Earth. Guru Ji encourages the girls who are stuck in prostitution to leave this bad trade to bring them into the main stream of society. Guru Ji’s followers also help such girls in getting freedom from this hell. Those girls who shun prostitution are adopted by Guru Ji as HIS daughters and are called “Shubh Devi”. Financially independent and well-educated unmarried boys marry them with their own will.
- Crown of the Lineage: The parents who have only daughters or one daughter are usually concerned about their family lineage. Many think that girls cannot carry their family lineage forward like boys, so they want only sons. By starting “Crown of The Lineage Campaign” Revered Saint, Saint Dr. MSG Insanhas broken this misconception. Thanks to this campaign, a girl who is the only girl child of parents, brings her groom in her own house after marriage. Her husband stays in her house with her and her parents and she carries her family’s lineage forward. These couples’ children are given their mothers’ last names instead of their fathers’ last name.
- Stopping Girl Child Marriage: Revered Saint, Saint Dr. MSG Insan is against child marriage. HIS millions of followers have pledged to never indulge in child marriage. They also stop girl child marriages and encourage others to get their daughters married only when they are of legal marriage age.
- Empowering Acid Attack Victims: The girls who are the victims of acid attack are helped in living a life of dignity by Dera Sacha Sauda. They are provided medical assistance when needed and their marriages are also arranged as per their will to save them from partiality and hatred of society.
Conclusion
Celebrating National Girl Child Day one day can’t do anything. To eliminate gender bias completely, we need a revolution which will last until there’s equality, equity safety for every woman in this world. Let’s all follow the initiatives done by Dera Sacha Sauda to make the dream of girls’ empowerment come true.
