Dimapur, June 11 : The Nagaland State Social Welfare Board has offered perspectives associating environmental concerns with the struggles of the girl child “because she will be a woman someday and the trees will grow with her.”
The Nagaland Forest department had dedicated the theme for the June 5 World Environment Day in the state to “The Girl Child.” The thematic context of the event was noted by Eastern Mirror in its June 7 editorial. The editorial had expressed discomfiture that the theme might perhaps tangle up the core objectives of global environmental movements. The consideration in the editorial was the fact that there were adequate private and government platforms that also campaign exclusively for the welfare of the girl-child, or children in general.
The editorial, for a point of reference, had stated:
“This is confounding because we have the department of Social Welfare, Women Development and even the Health and Family Welfare for that. This, of course, is not to suggest that the rest cannot be concerned about ‘the girl child.’”
But when you already have the leading global environmental authority set the year’s environmental agenda, which by the way could not be more appropriate in the context of Nagaland, why drag in something that is actually outside your brief.”
The department concerned could have the best of intention behind this venture but it gives rise to some very uncomfortable questions.” (‘Really Going Wild, June 7 edition, 2016; Eastern Mirror)
The Nagaiand State Social Welfare Board issued a statement on Saturday offering contextualization on said theme. “The Nagaland State Social Welfare Board and the State Resource Centre for Women would like to acknowledge the Forest department for going out of their way by initiating the one of its kind action by dedicating its tree plantation to ‘the Girl Child.’ Besides celebrating the World Environment Day (WED) 2016 keeping in mind its global theme, the department had also taken the extra mile which is much appreciated. The gesture of the tree plantation dedicated to ‘the Girl Child’ shows the support that the department has for environmental issues related to women and child,” the board stated.
"As debate on climate responses persists, water levels rise and climate change is causing destruction around the world. Among the most affected are women, as they gather water, fish, or farm land affected by flooding. During pregnancy and motherhood, their health is more at risk. Meanwhile, their voices arc often the last to be heard in environmental planning and management. They also have less access to land and productive resources,” the board stated, quoting “UN Women.”
The board also stated women and the environment to be two of the 12 critical areas of concern identified in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted by global leaders at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. The board stated: “The platform pinpointed three strategic objectives for government action on the environment. These include involving women actively in environmental decision-making at all levels, integrating their concerns and perspectives in policies and programmes, and establishing ways to assess the impact of development and environmental policies on women.Nearly 20 years later, women are making inroads and governments are increasingly seeking out their expertise and leadership when making key environmental decisions."
At a time when convergence of departments is being emphasized upon, the board had called on the Environment department to consider dedication of the tree plantation to the "the Girl child" because, the statement said, “she will be a woman someday and the trees will grow with her. We wanted environmentalists to also consider the girl child.”
The statement was appended by P Daisy Mezhur, Mission Director.
