Plan India releases ‘State of the Girl Child in India’ Report
New Delhi, 14th October 2011: Plan India, a child-centred development organization that promotes child rights and improves the quality of life of vulnerable children in India, released its annual State of the Girl Child report 2011t “Engaging Men and Boys towards Gender Equality”.
The report was unveiled by the Chief Guest, Ms Surina Narula, Patron, Plan India. Also present at the event were Govind Nihalani, Chairperson, Governing board, Plan India, Mr. Raj Nooyi, Member of Governing Board, Plan India and Ms Bhagyashri Dengle Executive Director, Plan India.
The report highlights the attitudes and awareness of men and boys on gender equality and recommends strategies to engage men and boys in achieving this. It aims to show that far from being an issue just for women and girls, gender is also about boys and men, and that this needs to be better understood if we are going to have a positive impact on societies and economies.
It includes a primary research commissioned by Plan India in five states - Delhi, UP, Bihar, Gujarat and Karnataka with over 6000 respondents. It highlights the awareness and attitude of boys and girls and young men and women (from 10-14 and 15-35 years of age) towards gender roles, in areas of decision making, family planning and health, attitude and action relating to dowry and women’s economic and political rights, division of household chores among the men and women and thinking related to gender stereotypes.
Speaking at the occasion, Ms. Surina Narula , Patron , Plan India, said, “Across the country, girls face double discrimination because of their gender and age, leaving them at the bottom of the social ladder. Plan India’s focus on the engagement of men and boys in achieving gender equality is aimed at bringing positive impact on society and economy.
Ms. Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director, Plan India said, “In our endeavour to protect the rights of the girl child in India, Plan India invests in bringing about a social change that would engage men & boys to respond to the existing inequalities that the women & girls in our country face, through action at individual, community and National level.”
“Plan actively engages the Government and other development partners in addressing the gender disparities through strategies that strengthen the role that men play in bringing harmony and peace through addressing issues of violence, abuse and support girls and women in exercising their rights.”, she added.
Plan intends to use the results of the study to strengthen its programmes relating to the rights of the Girl Child and advocate with the Government and civil society partners to ensure men and boys engagement in areas of nutrition, education, health care, decision making and women’s economic and political rights.
The report is third in a series of an Annual study on the State of the Girl Child in India, published by Plan India as a part of its campaign “Because I am a Girl” (BIAG). In 2009 and 2010, the reports focussed on the theme State of girl child in India and ‘Girls in a changing Landscape: Urban and Digital Frontiers’ respectively. The report series aims at highlighting the various issues that affect the life of a girl child.
Because I am a Girl is Plan's campaign to fight gender inequality, promote girls' rights and lift millions of girls out of poverty. Research has shown that girls are more likely to suffer from malnutrition; be forced into an early marriage; be subject to violence or intimidation; be trafficked, sold or coerced into the sex trade; or become infected with HIV. Plan is producing an annual report on the girl child each year in the run up to 2015, the target year for the Millennium Development Goals. Each report provides tangible proof of the inequalities that still exist between boys and girls. Join our campaign and help us transform the lives of the world's poorest girls.
