Technology Must Become A Tool For Liberation, Not Exploitation Of Girl Child : CJI BR Gavai

Chief Justice of India Bhushan Gavai on Saturday highlighted the challenges posed to safeguarding rights of the girl child in the era of technological advancements, highlighting that technology brings new vulnerabilities, especially for the girl child.

“The threats faced by young girls are no longer confined to physical spaces. They extend into the vast and often unregulated digital world,” he said, referring to online harassment, cyberbullying, digital stalking, misuse of personal data and deepfake imagery as examples of challenges that have evolved in both scale and sophistication.

“Our institutions, policy framework and enforcement authorities therefore must be attuned to the realities of our times… Laws addressing online sexual exploitation, digital trafficking and cyber harassment must be paired with effective enforcement, education and awareness initiatives. Protecting the girl child must become a core priority of digital governance ensuring that technological progress is accompanied by ethical safeguards. As we advance into a digital future technology must serve as a tool for liberation rather than exploitation”, the CJI said.

Delivering the inaugural address at the 10th Annual Stakeholders Consultation on “Safeguarding the Girl Child: Towards a Safer and Enabling Environment for Her in India” organized by the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice called for a collective effort by all institutions to ensure that every girl child in the country is truly empowered.

The CJI said that the strength and destiny of the nation are inextricably linked with the well-being and empowerment of its daughters. He observed that safeguarding the girl child must involve more than protecting her from harm, it must also create conditions that nurture her dignity, voice, and aspirations.

The Chief Justice said that the nation must ask itself what it truly means when it claims that children, especially girls, are safe. “Can safety exist when dignity is denied, voices are silenced or dreams are constrained by circumstances?” he asked, adding that the consultation served as an important forum to confront these questions.

The Chief Justice said that the Constituent Assembly recognised the state's responsibility to provide education, nutrition and healthcare for children. He added that the Preamble's commitment to justice, equality and fraternity read together with Articles 14, 15(3), 19 and 21 places a solemn obligation on the state and every public institution to prevent harm and create conditions in which the girl child can flourish.

“Safeguarding the girl child in this regard means nurturing her voice, curiosity, ambitions and self-worth. It means ensuring she can learn without fear, live without limitation and participate fully in the life of the community and the nation,” he said.

“When our laws, policies and institutions create this condition, they not only protect an individual girl but uphold the very promise of our republic,” he added.

Despite constitutional and legal guarantees, the Chief Justice highlighted that many girls across India continue to be denied their fundamental rights and even basic necessities. This vulnerability, he said, exposes them to disproportionately high risk of sexual abuse, exploitation, and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, malnutrition, sex-selective abortions, trafficking, and child marriage.

He said that this demands a deeper examination of the social, economic and cultural barriers that continue to impede girls' lives.

The Chief Justice also highlighted the issue of intersectional discrimination, stating that a girl from a marginalised caste or with a disability faces compounded disadvantages and multiple layers of societal discrimination. “Our institutions, policy framework and enforcement authorities therefore must be attuned to the realities of our times,” he said.

He said that training programmes for police officers, educators, health professionals and local administrators should incorporate a sensitive approach, equipping them to respond with empathy, nuance and contextual understanding.

He emphasised the need to raise public awareness about protection and welfare schemes already established for children, particularly girls and juvenile delinquents. “Too often, well-meaning citizens, upon encountering a trafficked, abandoned or abused girl, simply do not know what exactly they can do. This lack of awareness limits the effectiveness of existing frameworks and delays timely care and rehabilitation of the girl child,” he said.

He stressed the need for comprehensive campaigns to educate citizens on responding to child abuse, begging, sexual exploitation and trafficking. “Awareness programs must reach rural communities, schools and local self-government, empowering citizens to act knowledgeably and responsibly,” he said.

“Our efforts must reach every corner of the country and should not be limited to only the national capital,” the Chief Justice said. He added that the consultation addressed a wide range of issues including the functioning of the PCPNDT Act, education, child labour, the POCSO Act, child marriage, and gaps in the implementation of various laws relating to the girl child.

He described the consultation as a comprehensive discussion on the rights of all children. He thanked Minister of Women and Child Development Annpurna Devi for her presence, adding that the primary responsibility of implementing the rights of the girl child rests with the executive branch.

“While the judiciary can play a role in reforming rights and ensuring accountability, the primary responsibility of implementing these rights rests with the executive. In protecting the rights of children, especially girls, the executive plays the most crucial role as they are the primary stakeholders in these issues,” he said.

In conclusion, the Chief Justice quoted Rabindranath Tagore's poem “Where the Mind is Without Fear”, saying it captures the essence of what the nation seeks to achieve by safeguarding the girl child. “He dreamt of a nation where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, where knowledge is free,” he said.

“That vision remains incomplete so long as the girl child in our country lives in fear of violence, fear of discrimination or being denied the chance to learn and to dream. To secure her safety is not merely to protect her body but to free her spirit,” the Chief Justice said.

“To create a society where she can hold her head high in dignity and where her aspirations are nourished by education and equality,” he said, adding that Tagore's warning against the “dreary deserts of dead habits” reminds society to confront and overcome patriarchal customs that deny girls their rightful place.

“Only when the girl child grows in an environment of freedom and respect can we say with conviction that our nation has awakened into that nation of freedom of which Tagore so beautifully spoke,” he said.

At the end, the Chief Justice noted that the day coincided with International Girl Child Day. “The theme of this year's Girl Child Day is empowering girls for a bright future. Let us all collectively work in that direction,” he said.