Yes, I’m a girl

I am a girl. I have my own dreams that I want to make into reality. I have hopes that I want to fulfil. I know I can do it. I know that every girl in this world is capable of standing up for herself.

Impositions on women by family and society

Women are the most beautiful and blessed creation of God, and they are most likely the greatest. In fact, they are the main pillars of our civilization who have carried humanity for centuries and are capable of procreating and nurturing the next generation. She must be given the opportunity to spread her wings and soar rather than be kept in a gilded cage.

Girls are constantly told by their parents, family, neighbours, and society;

yes, you are a girl, and you should understand your responsibility and follow the customs and traditions of the society.

Yes, you are a girl, and you should be careful not to damage your image.

Yes, you are a girl, and you should aspire to be a homemaker and nothing else.

Yes, you are a girl, and you must make a house into a home.

We openly debate gender equality, but when it comes to implementation, we abandon all our ideas and perspectives. We’re all talking about change, yet we’re all succumbing to societal pressures and impediments.

Why do we act so strange? Isn’t it painful to see how girls are treated these days?

Ill-treatment towards women

Girls are being abused, assaulted, raped, and discriminated against, among other things. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 2021, there were 4,28,278 reported incidents of crime against women, a startling 87% increase from the 2,28,650 reported incidents in 2011. There are crimes that are perpetrated against women every day, and thousands of them go unreported. The number from NCRB includes only the reported ones. It is unimaginable to think of how many women face harassment in the form of eve teasing when existing in a public space and write it off as the everyday reality of being a woman. No country, no matter how educated its people or developed, is free of crimes against women.

We must hold the people responsible for such behaviour accountable instead of confining a woman and asking her to safeguard her reputation by limiting herself. Female infanticide has long plagued our country, and while stigma around girl babies has decreased, it has not been completely eliminated. In our country, for every 100 boys born nationally, 91 girls are born, a glaring display of the gender gap and cultural preferences for boys that starts from birth. Lives of girls are snatched away even before they get an opportunity to take their first breath.

If you don’t understand her silence, how will you understand her words?

Don’t water her ambitious dreams if they will ultimately be shrivelled.

God created girls with a great heart. She has feelings just like any other boy or man.

Yes, I am a girl, and I also need the love a boy receives.

Yes, I am a girl, and I also like to achieve my dreams like a boy is allowed to.

Yes, I am a girl, and I also will do all my duties that a boy does.

Yes, I am a girl, and I don’t need any sympathy,

I would rather need just a few supportive hands to lead my life with dignity. It is up to us to fight for our sisters. Let us show others twe are brave enough to face the world and powerful enough to combat it. Let us stand up to any immoral act committed against young girls and women. Let us join our hands and make a move because it is time for us to either speak up or meet the same fate as our ancestors. Women are capable of achieving greatness and reaching new heights when given the opportunity. Take the examples of women like Nirmala Sitharaman, Kiran Desai, Mary Kom, PV Sindhu, Dutee Chand, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Sudha Murthy, and Indra Nooyi, who have proven the non-believers wrong and shown that women are just as good, if not better, than their male counterparts.

Importance of women education in eradicating gender discrimination

According to a study published by the WEF in 2019, 45% of women in India between the ages of 15-29 are not engaged in any sort of education, training, or employment, as opposed to the 65% of young boys. It is not unknown that girls face discrimination and are not provided with the same support that boys receive. For this number to change, we must all reflect and take cognisance of the sexist mindset that perpetuates ignorance towards the girl child’s education due to the deep-rooted belief that girls are a burden who must be married off at the first possible chance and that they are incapable of taking care of their parents in their old age. This mindset sets a girl up for an unfulfilling life filled with misery and subservience. Without education, she has extremely limited earning potential, which leads to financial dependence and the loss of her dignity when she cannot escape an abusive situation due to her lack of options.

Conclusion

If a man can work to earn money, then a woman has every right to demand that she should be given the same opportunity. Despite India’s growing economy, a saddening less than 20% of women participate in the labour force (opposed to the 70% of men), according to a study published by the World Bank. Closing this gap would expand India’s GDP by nearly USD 6T by 2050. Seeing women as equals and treating them as such is vital to not only protect a woman’s dignity and enable her to live her life on her terms but to also boost our country’s growth and economic welfare, bringing it on par with global powers. India must create a safe haven for everyone, not just one half of the population.

Remember, when you are killing a girl, you are killing a mother, sister, friend, and a precious soul.

Bring back our girls!