Edu, safe environment key to empowering girls: Experts

RESHMI YADAV, OP

Bhubaneswar: As the world observes ‘International Day of the Girl 2025’ with the theme “The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead: Girls on the Frontlines of Crisis”, Odisha’s changemakers underscore the urgent need for empowering girls through education, safe & nurturing environment, and equal opportunity, especially at a time when the world is facing socio-economic challenges. Girls across India continue to face systemic barriers — from gender bias and early marriage to school dropouts – linked to unplanned pregnancies. Several studies suggest that 42.3% of single mothers in India dropped out of school due to unplanned pregnancy, underscoring how lack of education and awareness perpetuates vulnerability.

Unmukt Foundation’s founder Shweta Agarwal believes true progress comes when every child, not just girls, is nurtured equally. “When we talk about the girl child, we must also talk about every child. Because our girls can truly thrive, only when every child grows up in a safe, equitable and nurturing environment.” “Change does not come from sympathy; it comes from trust. When we trust girls with opportunity, voice, and space, they create miracles,” Agarwal adds.

She recalls Truptimayee, a young girl from Bhubaneswar who once feared joining self-defence classes but is now a state-level judo champion with two gold medals. “Her journey reminds us that when a girl rises, she lifts an entire community with her,” Agarwal says, adding, Every girl deserves a fair start — a chance to be seen, safe, and supported.

Linkan Subudhi, Bravery Awardee and Founder of Seva Prayas Foundation, stresses the importance of comprehensive sex education as a shield against exploitation. “Sex education doesn’t only mean learning about physical intimacy. It’s about understanding the body, menstrual hygiene, and emotional changes. Girls must be educated about the difference between good touch and bad touch. Parents need to be more aware too. For, only procreation is not enough — protection, sensibility and understanding matter,” Subudhi opines. Stating that societal attitudes, especially in rural India, still tie education to marriage prospects, Subudhi says, “We must normalise conversations about gender, safety, and equality. NGOs and social workers act as bridges between families and awareness.”

Renowned author and gender specialist Hiranmayee Mishra emphasises that empowerment begins at home. “Both girls and boys must be aware of their basic rights. For girls, especially in a society that still practices son preference, awareness about sexual rights, menstruation, and safety is essential,” Mishra says. She also laid stress on sex education, which she said should start early, from lessons on good and bad touch to deeper discussions on consent and bodily autonomy during adolescence. “While urban India is changing, rural areas still struggle with regressive norms—‘a son is our future, a daughter is someone else’s responsibility’.

Until that belief is erased, girls will remain at the margins,” Mishra opines. “While affordability of education and safety of girl child remain the biggest obstacles, State must ensure a secure environment for girls to attend school without fear. Then only will equality become reality,” Mishra asserts.

 

 

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