By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Joining the rest of the country, the Meghalaya State Social Welfare Board observed the National Girl Child Day on Tuesday with the aim of all round development of the adolescent girl, taking care of their nutritional, health, life skills and awareness requirements that will empower them.
Addressing the gathering as the chief guest, Chairman of the Meghalaya State Social Welfare Board, OB Tariang, stressed on the need for special protection and care for the girl child as they are oppressed at times.
She also emphasized that most of the girl child do not get the opportunity to attend school nor getting proper food and they are also being forced to get married at a tender age.
“We are very fortunate to have a matrilineal society and there is no discrimination between a girl and a boy child, but when we study the various survey reports, we find that the status of a girl child in our State is no better than those in other parts of the country,” Tariang said.
“These can be observed from the daily local news paper on sexual harassment, molestation besides others. Lack of fellowship and guidance by the parents has led their children to live a life of temptation and to commit offences,” she added.
Tariang expressed the importance and the need of the town and village committees and the NGOs to cooperate with the government to protect the rights of the girl child facing discrimination.
