By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on January 18 launched a weeklong program to celebrate the gift of girl children to society.
“Girls are an integral pillar of society. No nation can hope to progress and aspire for a future of prosperity, joy and fulfillment by discrimination against the women in society,” the chief minister said while opening the week at his residence. The celebrations will end on January 24, the National Girl Child Day.
The week is organized by the Alliance Defending Freedom India (ADF-India), an NGO, in collaboration with several other groups.
Kejriwal stressed the need for both men and women working together to help every Indian to reach his or her highest potential.
The chief minister regretted the practice of killing unborn girls in their mothers’ wombs.
“The law restricts sex determination during the pregnancy of a woman and the government of Delhi is committed to protect the life of the unborn girl child in the state,” he said.
The chief minister reiterated his government’s commitment to ensure strict implementation of the law that bans neo-natal tests. He said the government undertaken regular inspections and decoy operations to check violations. He urged the people of Delhi to stand up for the rights of the unborn girl child and provide information regarding those who commit such illegal acts.
The efforts have borne fruit as the sex ratio in Delhi increased to 902 females for every 1,000 males in 2016 from 886 girls six years ago.
Kejriwal also signed a four-point pledge to honor and respect women. He vowed that no sex selective abortion would be conducted in his family and that he would stand up for equal share for women in family resources.
He will support women to exercise their fundament freedoms and enjoy rights and recognize that men and women deserve equal respect and opportunities.
The chief minister also planted a “Raat Ki Rani,” (night queen), a jasmine shrub that blooms at night, to send out the message that women should be free to flourish not only during daytime but even in the darkness of the night.
ADF president Tehmina Arora quoted former president APJ Abdul Kalam to note that female feticide statistics indicate women’s traumatized existence. “No place is safe for them, not even their mother’s womb,” she added.
She further expressed the hope that the Girl Child Week’s awareness programs will help highlight the root of the problem. Men and women, she added, continue to believe that sons are more valuable than daughters.
Various malls in the capital have allowed ADF-India to conduct the awareness programs during the week.