From homes to courts, collective resolve needed to protect girls, say HC judges

Breaking the cycle of violence against girls, confronting prejudice still attached to their birth, and inculcating respect for women in boys emerged as the central themes at the state-level stakeholders’ consultation on “Safeguarding the Girl Child: Towards a Safer and Enabling Environment for Her in India” held at Chandigarh Judicial Academy.

High court judges Justice Lisa Gill, Justice Manjari Nehru Kaul, Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya, Justice Kuldeep Tiwari, Justice Harpreet Singh Brar and Justice Sumeet Goel – addressing different sessions of the consultation – pressed for coordinated action by the judiciary, police, welfare departments, schools, and communities to ensure a truly safe and nurturing environment for girls.

The consultation was attended by Chandigarh Judicial Academy Director (Administration) Dr Ritu YK Behl, judicial officers from POCSO and JJ courts, representatives of police, child welfare committees, and departments of health, education, and social justice.

Justice Kaul, also the president of academy’s Board of Governors, asserted that protecting children was not the mandate of any single institution but a shared duty demanding “collaboration, empathy and accountability”. She reminded participants that the consultation’s theme compelled everyone to confront “the violence, neglect and the systematic barriers girls face” and collectively work towards “solutions that are child-friendly, community-based and truly responsive to their needs”. Protecting one girl, she said, meant safeguarding “generations yet to come”.

Delivering the keynote address, Justice Gill – also chairperson of Juvenile Justice Monitoring Committee – asserted that violence against girls was not uncommon, manifesting in physical, emotional, sexual, and even digital forms.

Justice Gill acknowledged the progress achieved through laws like the Juvenile Justice Act, Child Marriage Prohibition Act, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act, and the Right to Education, alongside government schemes such as Mission Vatsalya and Mission Shakti. Yet, Justice Gill asked, “Can we say we have been absolutely successful in protecting our girl child and providing her a safe and nurturing space? I don’t think so… My only request to all of you is let us not become indifferent to these news items when we read them.”

Calling sensitisation of boys essential, Justice Gill stated: “The first and foremost responsibility cast upon each of us individually is to start teaching our sons, the males in our families, to be respectful and sensitive towards the female gender. The minute this responsibility is inculcated and carried out, the time is not far when each and every daughter shall be able to walk with her head held high at any nook, corner or street in the country at any point of the day or night without fear in her mind.”

Justice Tiwari called for strengthening the child protection system through inclusive and gender-sensitive support services. Justice Dahiya emphasised the need to evaluate the effectiveness of legal safeguards against all forms of violence. Justice Brar referred to the role of families and communities in prevention through local initiatives and parenting programmes. Justice Sumeet Goel, in the concluding session, called accountability mechanisms essential for safeguarding children’s rights.