Protecting girls is protecting the future - Women’s Affairs Minister

The national theme of Sri Lanka for International Women’s Day 2012 is “Let’s Protect Girls”. Protecting girls is protecting future, Child Development and Women’s Affairs Minister Tissa Karaliyadda said in an International Women’s Day message.

The message: Discrimination of the woman based on gender differences is a social feature that was observable throughout the world history.

Minister Tissa Karaliyadda

Although society is changing rapidly, it is questionable whether the attitudes and beliefs in society on the woman change on par with it.

It is women that most often become subject to attacks, sexual abuse, mental violence and killing. Even, out of them, girls are the ones who become subject to cruelty easily.

It is a deplorable situation if a woman who has to take a great responsibility in society as a girl, wife and a mother has to be subject to such oppression in her childhood itself.

The requirement has arisen to act by recognizing protection of girls as a national responsibility.

If any country remains at a low level economically, socially and politically for any reason, taken as a family, its impacts fall on its women and the girls. It is they who lose the rights of the requirements, such as, nutrition, health and education.

It is for this reason that our Ministry decided to commemorate the Women’s Day this time by assigning particular importance on girls. An initiative will be taken, parallel to this day, for a national programme for the elimination of incidents of rape that we hear almost every day throughout the country.

In the process of fulfilling the objective of creating a society sensitive to women and children, I hope that assistance of everybody will be extended to implement various activities initiated for empowering them economically and socially by enabling them win their rights and dues in a more vigorous and organized manner.