Empowering Girls: From Protection to Possibility

Biologically, nature has made the females of nearly all species stronger than males. The male may be physically strong & muscular but the female has the tenacity of spirit and a great factor of resilience. At the same time, child-bearing and child-rearing has limited the ability to spread wings and test her own potential into the vast space of land or sky. Confined to home & hearth, she limited her own potential, for she was made to believe that she was less of a mortal. 

Ancient Indian and Egyptian civilizations had Goddesses of Strength, Wisdom, Wealth et al but now the time has come to redeem the true essence of the female to  stand up for herself, break the glass ceiling, and not just be worshipped.

Defining the Act

We need to empower girls by broadly defining gender-specific acts that come under offences.  As per a data obtained from 2023 - 2025, 66 out of one lakh women report a crime against them. Many may go unreported.  Crime, not just the physical act but intent – verbal, digital, written, gestures or stalking must be considered cognizable offences, and only then can we have a gender sensitive and safe society. The certainty of being caught is equally important to the severity of punishment.

Learning spaces do their bit for girls' safety in their own ways through cinema, talks, self-defence classes etc. ‘Show your courage, hide your fears’ and ‘Be Brave’ should be a daily mantra taught to girls.  About two decades back, a young girl of 12 was kidnapped and whisked into a car. Fortunately, the neighbourhood washerwoman alerted the parents, who put out a chase. The car could not escape, its speed hampered by the under-construction roads. Exasperated, the kidnapper unceremoniously dropped her by the roadside. She called up home with the help of a guard posted at the gate of a small factory.  Her statements of the experience later were:

‘Ma’am, I did not give them the correct phone number as they would have asked for ransom. They put a pistol at my temple, but I wasn’t afraid. You have always said, my girls are brave. You say that a uniformed person may be trusted more than others, so I asked the factory guard to call home.’

(While this strategy might have worked then, it cannot be considered as a solution that might work in every situation. Schools and parents are advised to seek help from experts to teach girls about several circumstances and how to protect themselves accordingly)

Rewiring for Safety & Dignity

The world has changed, technology has erased physical boundaries, frontiers have been conquered but most women are still subject to improper gaze, glances and advances. The time has now come to upset the apple cart and empower girls at an early stage with respect to her safety and dignity.  

Empowerment and equal opportunities go a long way in uplifting a society or women. On paper, a lot of schemes are announced for girls and women but is the last person able to benefit from it, for there are a lot of loopholes of unfair practices in the bucket and they drain out most of it?

There’s always a sense of pride when we see women in uniforms or when they shatter glass ceilings. Indira Nooyi, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw or Sudha Murthy’s inspirational stories are now part of NCERT Books. FMCG and Pharma emerge as new strongholds for women CEOs.

The Numbers Say Different

All these examples are few and far between, but the path is long and the ride is rough.

Among 4,666 MPs/MLAs, only 464 are women. Gender balance in the judiciary remains an unfinished task.  Only 116 of 781 judges in 25 High Courts and 1 out of 33 judges in the Supreme Court are women.  India ranked 131 out of 148 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index 2025.

Home and school both play a big role in framing the mind-set of girls and boys in the formative years. Let not the values of care, respect, sensitivity and safety of girls taught to school boys and imbibed in young age be confined to four walls alone but carried to the world outside as well.

At the same time, society must give mental and physical strength to girls to stand up to hatred, violence, intolerance, prurient behaviour and superiority.  Girls need to be taught to show their courage and hide their fears, and at the same time exercise caution, learn to sense danger from people and places and navigate uncomfortable situations.

Schools must become a safe space to those who have been through traumatic experiences. We educators have to wean them out of guilt or blame if their homes are unable to build their trusts.

Building a Safe World

Global guidelines released by WHO in January 2026 calls on policy makers to put children at the heart of urban designing with public places for the health and wellbeing of children.

City planners too must chip in with safe, well-lit roads, good transport connectivity; a sensitive & trustworthy police force so girls don’t look over their shoulders, turning their living into mere survival training.

Empowerment of girls requires systemic changes at many levels – home, school, society & Government to work in unison and make this world a safe place for women.