Multi-dimensional approach needed to help girl child reach her full potential
National Girl Child Day is celebrated every year on January 24 in India, serving as a crucial reminder of the importance of empowering girls and ensuring their rights are protected. Initiated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2008, this day aims to raise awareness about the challenges faced by girls and promote a society where they can thrive without gender biases.
The significance of National Girl Child Day lies in its focus on addressing issues like female foeticide, declining sex ratio, societal attitudes towards girls, information technology-linked issues, etc. The government’s flagship initiatives, such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, (Save the daughter, educate the daughter) have played a vital role in promoting girls’ education and empowerment. Goa, in particular, has made notable progress in social welfare, achieving nearly universal institutional delivery and implementing schemes like Laadli Laxmi to support girls.
However, despite these efforts, challenges persist. Mental health remains a concern, with girls in Goa reportedly showing higher levels of emotional symptoms compared to their peers in other urban centres. One of the most pressing issues today is Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV), which includes online grooming, circulation of intimate images, and cyberstalking. This form of violence disproportionately affects adolescent girls, and it’s essential for Goa to address these emerging threats.
As we observe National Girl Child Day 2026, it’s crucial to move beyond symbolic celebrations and focus on tangible action. It’s time to prioritise girls’ safety, online and offline, and ensure that schools and communities have the necessary mechanisms to support them.
This includes promoting education and opportunities for girls in under-represented fields like STEM and defence. Initiatives like these can help shift societal attitudes and create a more inclusive environment for girls to grow and succeed.
In Goa, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign’s core purpose — survival, safety, and empowerment of the girl child — appears to have been diluted. It consists more of one-off events, award ceremonies, cultural programmes, and photo opportunities There is no clear roadmap, measurable outcomes, or sustained interventions linked to the real challenges girls face today. If Goa is serious about the girl child, the campaign needs a serious review and course correction, not symbolic celebration. A girl child’s empowerment cannot be measured by the number of events held, but by how safe she is in her home, school, online spaces, and community.
A girl child also requires a quality education. Quality education for girls is crucial for promoting gender education and health and hygiene, for breaking cycles of poverty, and for driving sustainable growth. It empowers girls with skills for better employment, and fosters healthier families. Importantly, quality education also helps the student to look beyond barriers of caste, religion, creed, etc. The priorities need urgent resetting. Goa must move beyond outdated indicators and ask: Are girls safe online? Do schools have clear escalation mechanisms? Are parents and teachers equipped to recognise digital harm? Are police and child protection systems trained for online abuse cases? Without addressing these questions, Girl Child Day risks becoming performative.
National Girl Child Day is more than a symbolic event. The true progress of a nation is measured by how it treats its daughters. Let’s work towards to create a society where girls can thrive, free from biases and fear. Empowering the girl child in 2026 requires a multi-dimensional approach focusing on education, financial security, health, safety and legal protection.
