Vanishing Girls Campaign initiative of ADF India is celebrating International Day of Girls this year at Dilli Haat, INA, New Delhi on Wednesday, 10th of October from 5.30 pm to 7.00 pm. The program includes a street play ‘Dastak Dilli’ on women related issues such as female foeticide, domestic violence, etc., written and directed by Arvind Gaur of Asmita Theatre Group and a musical performance on girl empowerment and girl power by ‘Minute of Decay’ band.
In 2012 the United Nations declared 11th October as INTERNATIONAL DAY OF GIRLS to increase awareness of gender inequality faced by Girls worldwide. The inequality includes areas such as access to education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care, protection from discrimination, violence against women and child marriages.
Since then, each year the International Day of Girls had various themes:
2012 – Ending Child Marriage
2013 – Innovating for Girl’s Education
2014 – Empowering Adolescents Girls: Ending the Cycles of Violence
2015 – The Powerof Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030
2016 – Girls' Progress = Goals' Progress: What Counts for Girls
2017 – EmPOWER Girls: Before, during and after crises
2018 – With Her: A Skilled GirlForce
This year’s theme ‘With Her: A Skilled GirlForce’ is to mark the beginning of a year-long effort to bring together partners and stakeholders to advocate for, to draw attention and investments to the most pressing needs and opportunities for girls to attain skills for employability.
Tehmina Arora, an advocate practising at Supreme Court and Director of ADF India highlighting the importance of gender equality said: “Every child is precious. Both girls and boys have an equal right to life and liberty. Our nation cannot afford to lose its little girls to discrimination and neglect. India’s future is interlinked with the lives of the girls and women of the country. For India to progress, every girl’s life and rights need to be protected.”
About Vanishing Girls Campaign
The Vanishing Girls Campaign is an initiative of a non-profit organization, ADF India, which has a network of lawyers advocating for the right to life to arrest the practice of female foeticide. The campaign was launched in January 2016 with the aim of focussing on the need for strict implementation of the PCPNDT Act especially in the NCT of Delhi.