JAMMU, Oct 11: Neelam Gupta, Senior Vice President of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP), District Jammu Urban, on Sunday emphasised the need to protect the rights of girls and ensure equal opportunities for their education, healthcare, safety and overall development on the occasion of the International Day of the Girl Child.
Highlighting the significance of the day, Gupta said that empowering girls was essential for building an educated, progressive and inclusive society. She stressed that every girl deserved to grow up in an environment where her rights were respected, her aspirations encouraged and her potential nurtured without discrimination.
She observed that although considerable progress had been made in promoting girls’ education and awareness about gender equality, several challenges continued to affect their development. These included gender-based discrimination, child marriage, inadequate access to healthcare, safety concerns and barriers to higher education and economic independence.
Gupta said that educating and empowering girls was not merely a social responsibility but a collective investment in the future of society. Families, educational institutions, government agencies and civil society organisations must work together to ensure that girls receive equal opportunities to excel in education, sports, science, technology and other fields.
Referring to Jammu and Kashmir, she stressed the importance of addressing the difficulties faced by girls in rural, remote and economically disadvantaged communities. Better educational infrastructure, safe transportation, digital literacy, healthcare facilities and vocational training were essential to enable girls to pursue their ambitions with confidence.
She also called for greater awareness among parents and communities about the importance of educating daughters and rejecting discriminatory practices. According to her, girls should be encouraged to express their views, develop leadership qualities and participate actively in social and economic activities.
Gupta emphasised that protecting girls must go hand in hand with respecting their freedom, dignity and aspirations. She called for effective measures to prevent child marriage, eliminate gender-based discrimination and create safe environments in schools, public spaces and digital platforms.
She further underlined the importance of initiatives such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, stating that sustained public awareness and effective implementation of girl-child welfare programmes were necessary to translate their objectives into tangible benefits.On the occasion, Gupta urged society to move beyond symbolic celebrations and take concrete steps towards ensuring equality, security and opportunity for every girl.
She said that the true significance of the International Day of the Girl Child lay in the collective determination to create a future where no girl was deprived of education, healthcare, dignity or the opportunity to fulfil her dreams.“An empowered girl is the foundation of an empowered family, a progressive society and a stronger Jammu and Kashmir,” Gupta said, calling upon all sections of society to work towards building a future in which every daughter is valued, respected and given the opportunity to succeed.