Appreciate the girl child: says Indian Church

Sept. 06, 2011: On the occasion of the celebration of the "Girl Child Day" on September 8, the Church in Goa, India, has urged that the day may "inspire us, individually and collectively, to devise ways and means to appreciate and affirm every girl-child in the home, in the community, in different institutions and the larger society".
The Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP) asked people to remember that the Church celebrates the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8 each year and that "the Church in India dedicates this joyful day to every girl child."
The Council’s executive secretary Fr Maverick Fernandes said that "every human life is a precious gift of God, and hence wellspring of human dignity". "This dignity inherent in the human life and equal in every person is the root of human rights, which are inalienable inviolable and universal. Every girl child-born and unborn-has an equal share in these rights, beginning with the right to life," he added. He said that girls of school-going age in Goa-given the opportunity-have excelled in various fields especially in education, sports and different art forms.
He lamented that many girls suffer ill-treatment and abuse at the workplace and that in today's society, girls are viewed as sex objects and are subjected to "intolerable crimes" of molestation, rape and trafficking.
Urging that the "Girl Child Day" should be an occasion for deep reflection on the vital aspects of the life of every girl-child, Fernandes said that the girl-child of today is an adult of tomorrow - the hope of positive transformation, a citizen who contributes to the development and progress of this nation and the world at large.