CJI Gavai flags vulnerability of girls in digital era

Highlighting the vulnerability of a girl child in the digital era, Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai on Saturday called for specialised laws and training of law enforcers and decision-makers to deal with problems like online harassment, cyberbullying, digital stalking and deepfake imagery.

He said this while addressing the national annual stakeholders consultation on ‘Safeguarding the Girl Child: Towards a Safer and Enabling Environment for Her in India’ in New Delhi.

The consultation – which is being organised by the Juvenile Justice Committee (JJC) of the Supreme Court, in association with UNICEF, India, on October 11 and 12 -- is deliberating on the need to strengthen measures to prevent violence against girls, ensuring timely justice for survivors, and expanding access to education, healthcare and social protection.

“In today’s era, where innovation defines progress, it is important to recognise that technology also brings new vulnerabilities, especially for the girl child,” the CJI said.

He said that from online harassment, cyberbullying and digital stalking to the misuse of personal data and deepfake imagery, the challenges had evolved in both scale and sophistication. Thus, institutions, policy frameworks and enforcement authorities must be attuned to the realities of the times, he added.

Supreme Court JJC Chairperson Justice BV Nagarathna said a young girl in India could be called 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 to her because of her gender.

“Put differently, the odds of her being born at all, having access to the right nutrition, care, education and material resources, a secure and safe environment, developing a distinct sense of self and being able to achieve whatever she sets her mind to has to be equivalent to that of a boy child born in this country,” Justice Nagarathna said.

The CJI said that despite constitutional and legal guarantees, many girls across the country continue to be tragically denied their fundamental rights and even basic necessities for survival and this vulnerability exposes them to disproportionately high risks of sexual abuse, exploitation and harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation, malnutrition, sex-selective abortions, trafficking and child marriage against their will.

“We must confront and overcome the deep-rooted patriarchal customs that continue to deny girls their rightful place,” Justice Gavai said.

Annpurna Devi, Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Cynthia McCaffrey, the country representative for UNICEF-India, judges, advocates and other stakeholders also attended the event.