Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 11: Supreme Court judge Justice B V Nagarathna, the only woman on the bench, voiced strong concern on Saturday over the ongoing issue of gender-based discrimination starting before birth, citing troubling sex ratio trends linked to female foeticide.

Speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day national consultation on safeguarding the girl child — organised by the Supreme Court’s Juvenile Justice Committee (SCJJC) in partnership with UNICEF India — Justice Nagarathna stressed that “a girl child should not merely survive, but actively thrive.”

Highlighting the marginal progress in India’s child sex ratio, she referred to data from the 2011 Census and the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019–2021), which showed a slight rise from 914 to 929 girls per 1,000 boys. Yet, she warned that in some states the ratio continues to worsen due to female foeticide and infanticide.

“The right to be born is the first and most fundamental right of the girl child — one she is being routinely denied,” she said, calling out the persistent barriers that prevent girls from being treated as equal citizens.

Justice Nagarathna also urged the legal system to adopt trauma-informed, child-sensitive procedures when dealing with young victims of crime. “We must ensure our courts and police stations do not retraumatise child survivors,” she said.

Underscoring the importance of health and nutrition, she pointed to National Family Health Survey data indicating that nearly 59% of girls aged 15–19 are anaemic, describing this as a crisis that demands urgent attention.

As Chairperson of the Supreme Court’s Juvenile Justice Committee, Justice Nagarathna called for comprehensive societal, legal, and policy support to eliminate gender-specific disadvantages and create an enabling environment where girls can grow, aspire, and achieve on par with boys.