At UNICEF–SC Meet, Justice Nagarathna Stresses Equal Rights And CJI Gavai Seeks Cyber Protection For Girls

Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai on Saturday expressed concern over the increasing vulnerability of girls in the digital age due to online harassment, cyberbullying, digital stalking and the misuse of personal data and deepfake imagery. He called for the enactment of specialised statutes and training programmes for law enforcers, educators and administrators to tackle the evolving challenges.

Speaking at the national annual stakeholders’ consultation on “Safeguarding the Girl Child: Towards a Safer and Enabling Environment for Her in India,” organised by the Juvenile Justice Committee (JJC) of the Supreme Court in collaboration with UNICEF India, the CJI said that despite constitutional and legal guarantees, many girls in the country continue to be denied fundamental rights and basic necessities for survival. Reported PTI, he warned that this persistent vulnerability exposes them to a disproportionately high risk of sexual abuse, exploitation and harmful practices such as sex-selective abortions, female genital mutilation, trafficking and child marriage.

The CJI stressed that protecting a girl’s safety must go beyond physical security to ensuring dignity, freedom and equality. Referring to Rabindranath Tagore’s poem “Where the Mind is Without Fear,” he said that India’s vision of freedom remains incomplete so long as any girl lives in fear of violence, discrimination or denial of opportunity. He urged a collective effort to dismantle patriarchal customs and create conditions where every girl’s aspirations are nourished through education and equality.

Highlighting the challenges of the digital era, Justice Gavai said that while technology can empower, it also introduces new threats. “From online harassment, cyberbullying and digital stalking to the misuse of personal data and deepfake imagery, the challenges have evolved in both scale and sophistication,” he said. He emphasised that institutions and policy frameworks must adapt to current realities through sensitised training for police officers, teachers, health workers and local administrators.

“Protecting the girl child must become a core priority of digital governance, ensuring that technological progress is accompanied by ethical safeguards,” the CJI said, adding that technology should serve as a tool of liberation rather than exploitation.

Justice B V Nagarathna, chairperson of the JJC, also spoke at the consultation in the presence of the CJI, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi, UNICEF India representative Cynthia McCaffrey, and other Supreme Court judges. She raised concern over deteriorating sex ratios in some states, suggesting possible female infanticide and foeticide. According to PTI, Justice Nagarathna said a girl in India can be considered a truly equal citizen only when she can aspire to achieve anything her male counterpart can, with equivalent access to nutrition, care, education, resources and safety.

Citing data, she noted that India’s child sex ratio (0–6 years) improved only marginally—from 914 girls per 1,000 boys in the 2011 Census to 929 girls per 1,000 boys in the National Family Health Survey-5. While some states have recorded progress, she said, others have shown a worsening trend likely linked to female infanticide and foeticide.

The JJC chairperson stressed that nutrition remains central to the well-being of girls, pointing out that many are deliberately fed less or lower-quality food than their brothers. She said that despite the positive impact of schemes such as the Midday Meal Scheme, Anaemia Mukt Bharat and POSHAN Abhiyaan, the long-term cognitive and physical effects of early malnutrition must be better publicised.

On education, Justice Nagarathna observed that while school attendance among girls aged 15–17 has significantly improved, dropout rates remain high after the secondary level. She attributed this to entrenched gender expectations that often prioritise boys’ education. “Education being provided must be free of stereotypes, of bias and ideology,” she said, adding that quality education is essential for both gender equality and national progress.

Justice Nagarathna also welcomed the decline in child marriage rates over the past 15 years, citing the combined impact of legal measures, community engagement and government initiatives in collaboration with UNICEF. However, she called for region-specific, holistic interventions to sustain these gains.

She further underlined the need for trauma-informed and child-sensitive procedures in courts and police stations, pointing to data showing that between 2018 and 2022, only 4.8 per cent of those arrested for human trafficking were convicted despite numerous charge sheets filed.

Justice J B Pardiwala, member of the JJC, said that protecting the girl child means ensuring her right to live, learn and grow in equality, free from harm, discrimination and violence. Introducing a handbook titled “Child Rights and the Law,” prepared by the Supreme Court’s Centre for Research and Planning under the JJC’s guidance, he said equal access to education, healthcare and opportunity must be the foundation of India’s commitment to its girls.

The event, attended by judges, lawyers, child rights activists and representatives from various institutions, underscored the shared responsibility of government, judiciary and civil society in safeguarding the girl child in both physical and digital spaces.

(With inputs from PTI)