CHANDIGARH: A nationwide campaign "Beti Hoon Beti Bolo" has been launched from Bibipur village in Jind district of Haryana which aims to promote gender equality and empower girls.
Former sarpanch of the village, Sunil Jaglan, launched this campaign yesterday on the birthday of his daughter, Yachika Jaglan.
Besides Haryana, he intends to spread this campaign in Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar Jarkhand, Telangana and Tamil Nadu as he aims to organise gram sabhas in over one lakh villages across the country to garner support for this campaign.
Talking to TNIE, Sunil Jaglan says, "Many women from the village participated in the campaign, discussing the prevalent mindset in society where girls are referred to as 'beta' (son). It is both in rural and urban areas and in both educated and uneducated families. A large portion of the population in the country, including parents, teachers, and professors, address their daughters as 'beta', which has a direct impact on their minds and hinders gender equality. When we spoke to them they admitted that they were doing so but said that their parents also did the same.’’
Jaglan stressed that girls should always be addressed as "beti" (daughter). The village women accepted Jaglan's message and acknowledged that they too had unknowingly used these words. They pledged to support the campaign.
Jaglan announced plans to take the campaign forward through social media, gram sabhas, universities, schools, and collaborations with various stakeholders.
He aims to organise gram sabhas in over one lakh villages across the country to garner support for the "Beti Hoon Beti Boloon" campaign.
"There are community outreach programs of universities we will try to spread with campaign through these programs. Not only that some 18,000 gram panchayats are in touch with us is nine states..Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar Jarkhand, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. We will hold regular online meeting and spread this word," he says.
Jaglan launched the "Beti Bachao" campaign in 2012 and initiated the "Selfie with Daughter" campaign, which was praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi nine times in his "Mann Ki Baat" program and in events in the US and UK.
A national award-winning documentary film, "Sonrise," was made on Sunil Jaglan and screened at Harvard and Yale universities in the US. Jaglan has also been featured in documentary films in multiple languages and in a serial on Doordarshan.
Additionally, a chapter on him has been included in the ICSE board's eighth-grade curriculum.
Jaglan has launched 76 campaigns related to women's empowerment, setting a record. He was recently awarded a prize by Debiers London for his work for women.
The Bibipur model, initiated by Sunil Jaglan, was implemented in 100 villages across the country by former President Pranab Mukherjee.