GIRL CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (GCDP)
The GCDP was initiated in
response to the increasing number of child abuses, which involve girl children
in and outside of their respective families. An alarming trend is
the increasing incidence of sexual child abuse and working girl children
especially in places hazardous to their growth and development. While
danger is common to children of both genders, the girls are admittedly
in more dangerous and vulnerable situation. They are more prone to
various forms of assault and harassment by virtue of their gender and physical
make-up.
The program concretizes the SDC’s commitment to promote and defend the rights of the child through awareness and conscientization sessions and provisions of skills enhancement (personality and economic skills). This is one way of preparing the girl children to become responsible adults, fully cognizant of the truth that “Today’s Girls are Tomorrow’s Women”.
The SDC envisions the program to conduct continuing educational activities for the girl children at the depressed communities. This effort is one way of decreasing the number of street children of the street and encouraging them to go back to their respective families. While the focus of the program is on community girl children, education for the girl children of the street is likewise undertaken. Girl children of the street maybe included in any community-based activities when it is helpful and possible. Otherwise, whenever necessary, a separate street-based activity will be undertaken specially for them.
In the course of implementing its primary education and skills training activities, the program will continue to render basic services (e.g. legal assistance, school re-entry, fostering, job placement, medical assistance, family counseling, etc.). But in the main, education, guidance and counseling are the major services intended for the girl child in crisis.
