Int’l Girl Child Day observed in Old City

Hyderabad: With an aim to create awareness about the rights of girls and highlight the urgent need to end child marriage, gender-based discrimination, and other forms of violence against girls, Shaheen Women’s Resource & Welfare Association organised a special programme to commemorate the International Girl Child Day at Urdu Ghar in Hyderabad’s Old City, under the theme ‘End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights’.

The programme emphasised the importance of ensuring that every girl has access to education, safety, dignity, and equal opportunities to build a secure and independent future.

Jameela Nishat, Founder and Director of Shaheen, said, “The United Nations General Assembly on December 19, 2011, passed a resolution declaring October 11 as the ‘International Day of the Girl Child’. Day primarily focuses on the necessity to acknowledge the challenges that girls face around the globe and to empower them towards fulfilling their human rights.”

R Shalini, Senior Civil Judge, advocate Aijaz Ali Quraishi, District Legal Services Authority, and others attended the programme.

According to organisers, the programme highlighted the importance of protecting girls from child marriage and discrimination while creating awareness about their legal rights and entitlements.

It also underscored the role of communities, educational institutions, civil society organisations, and authorities in ensuring that girls grow up in a safe, supportive, and empowering environment.

The event emphasised the need for collective action to challenge harmful social practices that restrict girls’ freedom, education, and personal development.

Shaheen Women’s Resource & Welfare Association, a grassroots organisation, has been working in Hyderabad’s Old City for more than two decades to address gender-based violence and discrimination.

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The Hans India