CJI Gavai Flags Vulnerability Of Girl Child In Digital Age; Calls For Securing Her Safety By Protecting Body And Freeing Spirit
He was speaking at the national annual stakeholders’ consultation on ‘Safeguarding the Girl Child: Towards a Safer and Enabling Environment for Her in India’
By Sumit Saxena
Published : October 11, 2025 at 6:31 PM IST
New Delhi: To secure girl child’s safety is not merely to protect her body but to free her spirit. This was stated by Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai on Saturday while speaking at the national annual stakeholders’ consultation on ‘Safeguarding the Girl Child: Towards a Safer and Enabling Environment for Her in India’.
The consultation was organized under the aegis of Juvenile Justice Committee (JJC) of the Supreme Court in association with UNICEF-India.
Justice Gawai stressed upon creating a society where the girl child can hold her head high in dignity and where her aspirations are nourished by education and equality.
"To secure her safety is not merely to protect her body, but to free her spirit. To create a society where she can hold her head high in dignity and where her aspirations are nourished by education and equality.... We must confront and overcome the deep-rooted patriarchal customs that continue to deny girls their rightful place," he underlined.
Against the backdrop of the digital age, the CJI flagged the vulnerability of the girl child due to online harassment, cyberbullying and digital stalking as well as the misuse of personal data and deepfake imagery. He emphasized on enactment of specialised statutes and training of law enforcers and decision makers.
Recalling Rabindranath Tagore's poem, ‘Where the Mind is Without Fear’, the CJI said that it captures the very essence of what is sought to be achieved in safeguarding the girl child.
"That vision remains incomplete so long as any girl in our country lives in fear -- fear of violence, of discrimination or of being denied the chance to learn and to dream," he said.
He said only when every girl child grows in an environment of freedom and respect can it be said with conviction that the country has awakened into that ‘heaven of freedom’ of which Tagore so beautifully spoke.
The CJI said that many girls across the country, despite constitutional and legal guarantees, continue to be tragically denied their fundamental rights and even basic necessities for survival.
Justice Gawai said this vulnerability exposes them to disproportionately high risks of sexual abuse, exploitation and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, malnutrition, sex-selective abortions, trafficking and child marriage against their will.
He stressed upon the need for a deeper examination of the social, economic and cultural barriers that continue to impede girls' lives.
The CJI spoke in the presence of Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annpurna Devi and the country representative for UNICEF-India, Cynthia McCaffrey.
He pointed out that in today's technological era, where innovation defines progress, it is important to recognise that technology, though empowering, also brings new vulnerabilities, especially for the girl child.
Justice Gavai said that 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.
"Training programmes for police officers, educators, health professionals and local administrators should consequently incorporate a sensitive approach, equipping them to respond with empathy, nuance and contextual understanding," he said.
Chairperson of the JJC of the apex court, Justice B V Nagarathna said a young girl in India can be said to be a truly equal citizen only when she can freely aspire to do anything that her male counterpart does and receive the same quality of support and resources to do so, facing no barriers specific to her because of her gender.
Justice J B Pardiwala who is a member of the JJC said protecting the girl child means ensuring that every girl has the right to live, learn and grow with equality, free from harm, discrimination and violence, such as female foeticide and child marriage.
He introduced a handbook on ‘Child Rights and the Law’ bought out by the Centre for Research and Planning of the apex court under the guidance of the JJC.
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