On the International Day of the Girl Child, 11 October, underprivileged girls will assume the seats of power of eleven ambassadors of various embassies in Delhi for a day. The event will take place at 2:20 pm at The Ashok Hotel’s banquet hall on Wednesday.
The following countries are participating in this endeavour: United States, the European Union (EU), Spain, Sweden, France, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Slovenia, France, South Africa, and New Zealand.
This initiative by a women and children’s rights NGO, Plan India, is an effort to level the gender ‘playing field’ and to draw attention to the plight of women.
Organisers told The Quint that this initiative is a part of these embassies’ “commitment to promoting gender equality, empowerment of women and girls, and the advancement of their human rights”.
The executive director of the NGO, Bhagyashree Dengle, is expected to discuss the following at the discussion, according to the organising committee:
a) Challenges faced by girls in occupying spaces and places where they are rarely seen or heard,
b) ‘Plan India’s’ ongoing effort to break barriers of discrimination that continue to stifle girls in society, by supporting greater opportunities for girls.
In a bid to make the event as inclusive as possible, the girls have been chosen from different communities. Among the participants are 22-year-old Neha Siddiqui, 24-year-old Heena Praveen and 19-year-old Reeya Prajapati.
Siddiqui, who will take charge of the European Union’s delegation, feels “an overwhelming need to fight against stereotypical behaviours that plague households across the country. She sees this “takeover” as an opportunity to address issues faced by girls and help create or improve existing policies.”
Praveen, who will assume the role of the Charge d' Affaires of USA to India, feels strongly about gender discrimination, and believes that the issue of early marriage of girls demands immediate attention.
Prajapati, who is going to be the High Commissioner of South Africa to India for a day, believes that “a major hindrance in the development of girls is that they are not allowed to make their own decisions.”
The issues voiced by these women are universal and ones women across the world can relate to. A representative from the organising committee told The Indian Express, “We hope to celebrate the power and potential of girls with the world on a global day dedicated to girls… and engage young people through a meaningful and empowering process.”
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