Gender Equity and Girl Child in India

Indian Scenario: Then and NowThe pathetic condition of gender discrimination in India starts with a girl child's claim to the "right of life". The consistent decline in sex ratio - a seemingly grim future for females all over India; and the incidence of female feticide, are symptoms of the serious social sicknesses within the society in India, regardless of the educational and socioeconomic status of the family. The girl child has to face different levels of discrimination in the family, neighborhood, school, and the community, through all her phases of life and development. It is crucial to note that this discrimination is all pervasive and continuous.There are several illustrations of girls being neglected, denied equity in food, education, health care, being subject to serious physical and sexual abuse ( Govt, of India, 2007), and marginalized in opportunities for developing and expressing their independent identity. They are subjected to what can be considered the rhetoric of a society in which they are considered "paraaya dhan" (which literally translates to property of another/ other). There is an over-emphasis on the female's domestic role - i.e. daughter, daughter-in-law, wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother and other domesticated social roles. These roles become enlarged in her psychic conditioning at home, at school and in the community, throughout the process of her growing up - both directly, as well as indirectly.There are apparent double standards - both public and private - for dealing with concerns of girls' development, in contrast with their male counterparts. Male members in Indian culture are socialized to have differential attitudes and behaviors towards the girl child and boy child. This attitude supports the development of stereotypes: intellectual and practical life skills of independence for the boys, and nurturing life skills for the girls, even though the girls may perform well in academics and in intellectual arenas. These ideas may be changing to some extent in cities and urban developed areas. However, the patriarchal norms predominate over gender equity at large, even in cities.In ancient India, as it is in historical descriptive literature, some of the examples are of those where women enjoyed equal status in ancient Vedic India. The examples of Gargi and Maitrey are being mentioned, though rarely, in our educational curriculum, or in our story-telling books of ancient literature which are commonly accessible in the book stores or libraries. In the recent past, the social reformers, saints, and seers like Maharishi Dayanand, Shri Aurobindo, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, championed the cause of gender equity in their social movements, although each had different methods and philosophies for achieving it.CRC and Giri ChUd in IndiaIn contemporary India the best and most practical way of dealing with this discrimination is to refer to the 'UN Convention of Child Rights (CRC)', which states that India is a signatory for the last two decades or so. According to this, the state has promised to empower girls with education, autonomy to choose their careers, ensure their health care, provide access to quality services, and most importantly, provide social protection from the state. By ratification of the CRC, India has to have policies and practices in place to encourage participation of girls and protection of girls as citizens.Ratification of the CRC was a positive policy move by the State of India, and signified its joining the International fraternity for being proactive for the rights of child. The State has to find creative ways to provide the right of equity to the girl child in a tradition-bound society like India. The institutions of family, school and community play a decisive role in child's life, both traditionally and today - and rightly so, in some ways. However, the same families, schools and communities can sometimes play a crippling role in the process of the progress and development of girls. …