NEW DELHI: Chief Justice B R Gavai on Saturday said despite constitutional guarantees, many girls continue to be tragically denied their fundamental rights and even basic necessities for survival and face harmful practices like female genital mutilation (FGM). Interestingly, a PIL challenging the validity of FGM, practised among certain Muslims, is pending before a ninejudge SC bench, which is also seized of the challenge to alleged discriminatory practices against women at Sabarimala, Agiyari of Parsi communities and mosques.Threats faced by girls now extend into the digital world, says CJIA a national consultation on ‘Safeguarding the girl child: towards a safer and enabling environment for her in India’ organised by juvenile justice committee headed by Justice B V Nagarathna, CJI B R Gavai said, “This vulnerability exposes them (girls) to disproportionately high risks of sexual abuse, exploitation, & harmful practices such as FGM, malnutrition, sex-selective abortions, trafficking, and child marriage against their will.” He said advancement in technology, though empowering, has given rise to new vulnerabilities for the female child. “Threats faced by young girls are no longer confined to physical spaces, they extend into the digital world. From online harassment, cyberbullying, and digital stalking to misuse of personal data and deep fake imagery, the challenges have evolved in both scale and sophistication,” the CJI said. Calling upon institutions, policy makers & enforcement authorities to realise realities of presentera challenges, he said technology must serve as a tool for liberation rather than exploitation. “Safeguarding the girl child today means securing her future in classrooms, workplaces, and on every screen she encounters,” he said. Justice Nagarathna said, “A young girl in India can be said to be a truly equal citizen only when she can freely aspire to do anything that her male counterpart does and receive the same quality of support and resources to do so, facing no barriers specific.”
