As a part of a national campaign promoted by Plan International, “Because I am a girl” campaign was launched here. The launching ceremony was jointly organised by NGO Friends Association for Rural Reconstruction (FARR) in collaboration with Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD).
The launching ceremony was attended by ADM Biranchi Narayan Ratha as chief guest, DSWO Sanghamitra Kanungo, Odisha Adibashi Manch State convenor Bidulata Huika as guests of honour and FARR coordinator Pramila Swain and CYSD coordinator Kalpana Mohapatra. Girls and women from several institutions attended the ceremony which focused on the issues of adolescent girl children like gender disparity, early marriage and alarming decreasing sex ratio, etc.
Introducing the subject in the ceremony, Pramila Swain vividly spoke about the exploitative life cycle of a girl child leading to an incomplete womanhood. She expressed her concern about the lack of a conducive environment for the growth of a girl child. In spite of all odds, several girls have crossed the roadblocks and proved themselves in various fields.
In an under-developed tribal district like Rayagada a few girls have posed themselves as self models, she maintained.
DSWO Kanungo recited a heart touching song depicting chronologically the trauma a girl child goes through. She agreed that though there are several acts and policies for the development and protection of girl children, they needed to be utilized in full potential. “Child Marriage incidents are in decreasing trend in a backward district like Rayagada,” she said.
Huika reminisced her childhood as a tribal girl in Gunupur, her struggle to even ride a bicycle before the gentries of a conservative society and her own community’s resistance to see her rising as a police officer. In spite all this, with the help of Koraput Gandhi late Biswanath Pattanaik, she was able to become college sports champion and complete her post graduation and law.
ADM Rath boasted of the sex ratio of Rayagada district which stood 1,028 in 2001 census and increased to 1,051 as per 2011 census. Even if the women literacy is relatively low, sex ratio here stands out as a prominent indicator of women development of the district, he pointed out.