Assure My Future: The Journey of the Church of South India Girl Child Sunday
Shibi Peter
As the Church of South India (CSI) marks twenty-five years since the launch of the Commitment to the Girl Child campaign and the observance of Girl Child Sunday in 2000, the occasion invites reflection on one of the most significant social interventions in the life of the Indian Church. What began as an initiative of the CSI Diaconal Ministry has grown into one of the most sustained, church-led campaigns for gender justice in South Asia. Over these twenty-five years, the CSI’s call has remained constant in affirming the blessedness of the girl child, created in the image of God. From the first Decade of the Girl Child to the renewed campaign Assure My Future (2014), the observance has evolved into a prophetic movement that transformed ecclesial consciousness and social witness across dioceses, influencing public policy and global ecumenical discourses on gender justice.
It was amid alarming realities of female foeticide, infanticide, child sexual abuse, exploitative child labour, and deep-rooted gender discrimination that denied girls education, healthcare, and dignity that the CSI Diaconal Ministry convened the historic consultation on “Girl Child: A Commitment of the Church of South India” from August 1–3, 2000, at the CSI Synod Centre, Chennai. The consultation brought together church leaders, theologians, and social activists to reflect on the structural violence faced by girl children in India.
Bishop B. P. Sugandhar, then Deputy Moderator, declared that “the girl child is not merely a social concern, but a spiritual and moral calling for the Church to bear witness to God’s justice and care for the marginalised.” The General Secretary, Rev. G. Dyvasirvadam, echoed this conviction, affirming that recognising the dignity of the girl child is an act of faith and a visible expression of the Kingdom of God. The consultation concluded with a call to inaugurate the Decade of the Girl Child (2000–2010) and the observance Girl Child Sunday on the Sunday closest to November 14 each year.
Rooted Realities: The Context of the CSI Consultation
The Church of South India’s Consultation arose from an urgent awareness of the deep-rooted discrimination against girl children in India. From precolonial times through the modern era, patriarchal customs, caste hierarchies, and dowry systems perpetuated the perception of daughters as burdens. Practices such as female infanticide, neglect, and abandonment were recorded across many regions. Legal measures - from the Infanticide Act of 1870 to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971 - sought to curb these injustices, yet deep-seated social norms continued to privilege sons. The 1991 Census revealed a declining child sex ratio of 945 girls per 1,000 boys, reflecting the systemic gender bias that persisted across both rural and urban communities.
In Tamil Nadu, the crisis assumed a particularly tragic form by the 1980s and 1990s. Female infanticide - often through deliberate neglect or poisoning - reached alarming proportions, especially in districts such as Salem, Dharmapuri, Madurai, and Theni, which came to be known as the “female infanticide belt.” By 1997, an estimated 3,000 female infants were dying each year due to social causes. The Tamil Nadu government responded with the Cradle Baby Scheme (1992), offering an alternative to infanticide through safe adoption and care facilities for abandoned girls. Although the initiative led to modest improvements, the challenge remained immense.
Technological advances during the 1970s and 1980s, including amniocentesis and ultrasound, added new dimensions to the crisis by enabling sex-selective abortions. Initially confined to urban elites, these practices soon spread across social classes, reinforced by patriarchal norms and economic pressures such as dowry. The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act of 1994 sought to regulate this misuse but faced serious enforcement challenges. Beyond birth-related discrimination, millions of girls continued to suffer malnutrition, child labour, domestic servitude, and trafficking. The 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action called for the elimination of such inequalities and the assurance of girls’ survival, protection, development, and participation.
Within this historical and social context, the CSI’s 2000 Consultation was both timely and prophetic as a missiological response to a national crisis that denied girls the fullness of life and dignity intended by God.
Theological Foundation in Lived Experiences
The consultation documents reveal that the Church of South India’s theology of the girl child was born out of deep biblical reflection, particularly on Mary’s Magnificat, the song of liberation that magnifies God’s justice (Luke 1:46-55). The Deputy Moderator, in his message, interpreted Mary’s song as a call for moral, social, and economic transformation, proclaiming that the song of every girl child is a continuation of Mary’s prophetic witness. The consultation affirmed that every girl bears the image of God, and that affirming her worth is not an act of charity but an act of discipleship - a faithful response to Christ’s invitation, “Let the little children come to me.” This became the theological cornerstone of the movement to recognise in the girl child the presence of God’s kingdom and the call to renewal of life.
Amid these theological affirmations, the consultation also witnessed a story that gave living expression to this faith - the story of Maheswari, a nine-year-old girl from Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu. When her parents welcomed a second daughter, they were disappointed and worried about the future needs of their two girls, still longing for a son to be the breadwinner. When the third child was also a girl, their despair turned into a painful decision: they considered ending the life of the newborn. Nine-year-old Maheswari, hearing of this plan, was horror-struck. She ran to her neighbours and teachers, alerting them to the danger. The intervention that followed, supported by the police, saved the infant’s life. The rescued child was later named Mangalam, meaning “All is Well.” Maheswari’s courage, later honoured with the President’s Bravery Award, became a living parable of the Gospel, a testimony that even a child can become a prophet of life, a defender of dignity, and a witness to God’s justice. Her story moved the participants deeply and became a lasting symbol of what the Church’s mission must embody; the faith that nurtures life and stands against every power of death and discrimination.
As the Church of South India (CSI) marks twenty-five years since the launch of the Commitment to the Girl Child campaign and the observance of Girl Child Sunday in 2000, the occasion invites reflection on one of the most significant social interventions in the life of the Indian Church. What began as an initiative of the CSI Diaconal Ministry has grown into one of the most sustained, church-led campaigns for gender justice in South Asia. Over these twenty-five years, the CSI’s call has remained constant in affirming the blessedness of the girl child, created in the image of God. From the first Decade of the Girl Child to the renewed campaign Assure My Future (2014), the observance has evolved into a prophetic movement that transformed ecclesial consciousness and social witness across dioceses, influencing public policy and global ecumenical discourses on gender justice.
It was amid alarming realities of female foeticide, infanticide, child sexual abuse, exploitative child labour, and deep-rooted gender discrimination that denied girls education, healthcare, and dignity that the CSI Diaconal Ministry convened the historic consultation on “Girl Child: A Commitment of the Church of South India” from August 1–3, 2000, at the CSI Synod Centre, Chennai. The consultation brought together church leaders, theologians, and social activists to reflect on the structural violence faced by girl children in India.
Bishop B. P. Sugandhar, then Deputy Moderator, declared that “the girl child is not merely a social concern, but a spiritual and moral calling for the Church to bear witness to God’s justice and care for the marginalised.” The General Secretary, Rev. G. Dyvasirvadam, echoed this conviction, affirming that recognising the dignity of the girl child is an act of faith and a visible expression of the Kingdom of God. The consultation concluded with a call to inaugurate the Decade of the Girl Child (2000–2010) and the observance Girl Child Sunday on the Sunday closest to November 14 each year.
Rooted Realities: The Context of the CSI Consultation
The Church of South India’s Consultation arose from an urgent awareness of the deep-rooted discrimination against girl children in India. From precolonial times through the modern era, patriarchal customs, caste hierarchies, and dowry systems perpetuated the perception of daughters as burdens. Practices such as female infanticide, neglect, and abandonment were recorded across many regions. Legal measures - from the Infanticide Act of 1870 to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971 - sought to curb these injustices, yet deep-seated social norms continued to privilege sons. The 1991 Census revealed a declining child sex ratio of 945 girls per 1,000 boys, reflecting the systemic gender bias that persisted across both rural and urban communities.
In Tamil Nadu, the crisis assumed a particularly tragic form by the 1980s and 1990s. Female infanticide - often through deliberate neglect or poisoning - reached alarming proportions, especially in districts such as Salem, Dharmapuri, Madurai, and Theni, which came to be known as the “female infanticide belt.” By 1997, an estimated 3,000 female infants were dying each year due to social causes. The Tamil Nadu government responded with the Cradle Baby Scheme (1992), offering an alternative to infanticide through safe adoption and care facilities for abandoned girls. Although the initiative led to modest improvements, the challenge remained immense.
Technological advances during the 1970s and 1980s, including amniocentesis and ultrasound, added new dimensions to the crisis by enabling sex-selective abortions. Initially confined to urban elites, these practices soon spread across social classes, reinforced by patriarchal norms and economic pressures such as dowry. The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act of 1994 sought to regulate this misuse but faced serious enforcement challenges. Beyond birth-related discrimination, millions of girls continued to suffer malnutrition, child labour, domestic servitude, and trafficking. The 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action called for the elimination of such inequalities and the assurance of girls’ survival, protection, development, and participation.
Within this historical and social context, the CSI’s 2000 Consultation was both timely and prophetic as a missiological response to a national crisis that denied girls the fullness of life and dignity intended by God.
Theological Foundation in Lived Experiences
The consultation documents reveal that the Church of South India’s theology of the girl child was born out of deep biblical reflection, particularly on Mary’s Magnificat, the song of liberation that magnifies God’s justice (Luke 1:46-55). The Deputy Moderator, in his message, interpreted Mary’s song as a call for moral, social, and economic transformation, proclaiming that the song of every girl child is a continuation of Mary’s prophetic witness. The consultation affirmed that every girl bears the image of God, and that affirming her worth is not an act of charity but an act of discipleship - a faithful response to Christ’s invitation, “Let the little children come to me.” This became the theological cornerstone of the movement to recognise in the girl child the presence of God’s kingdom and the call to renewal of life.
Amid these theological affirmations, the consultation also witnessed a story that gave living expression to this faith - the story of Maheswari, a nine-year-old girl from Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu. When her parents welcomed a second daughter, they were disappointed and worried about the future needs of their two girls, still longing for a son to be the breadwinner. When the third child was also a girl, their despair turned into a painful decision: they considered ending the life of the newborn. Nine-year-old Maheswari, hearing of this plan, was horror-struck. She ran to her neighbours and teachers, alerting them to the danger. The intervention that followed, supported by the police, saved the infant’s life. The rescued child was later named Mangalam, meaning “All is Well.” Maheswari’s courage, later honoured with the President’s Bravery Award, became a living parable of the Gospel, a testimony that even a child can become a prophet of life, a defender of dignity, and a witness to God’s justice. Her story moved the participants deeply and became a lasting symbol of what the Church’s mission must embody; the faith that nurtures life and stands against every power of death and discrimination.
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| Maheswari shares her experience during the consultation |
Renewed Commitment: Assure My Future
Anguished by the continued violence and discrimination faced by young women and girls across India, the Church of South India (CSI) announced a renewed campaign for the girl child in 2014, reaffirming its prophetic commitment first launched in 2000. Building on the foundational initiative Decade of the Girl Child, the new campaign was titled Assure My Future. It called upon the Church and society to move beyond awareness toward tangible assurance of safety, dignity, and equality for every girl. The Decade of the Girl Child had already transformed parishes into spaces of advocacy and care. Every local congregation engaged in affirmative actions: reopening closed hostels for girls, improving infrastructure in schools, organising gender-sensitivity trainings for both men and women, and addressing the crisis of “missing girls.”
After 2010, the CSI encouraged its local churches and institutions to integrate the concerns of the girl child into their ongoing mission activities. The 2014 campaign, therefore, represented not a new beginning but a renewed commitment, a call to strengthen what had already been sown. It aimed to address critical rights and justice issues related to education, nutrition, healthcare, and safety to securing the future of girls in India. As part of the initiative, care providers and community leaders were trained in protective legislation and mechanisms to safeguard the rights of children. Church members were encouraged to report violations and work in partnership with the State and National Commissions for the Protection of Child Rights. Beyond denominational boundaries, the CSI urged its members to collaborate with neighbours of all faiths to build a shared solidarity affirming the dignity of the girl child. Through Assure My Future, the Church of South India reaffirmed its vocation as a servant of life and justice, calling both Church and society to a renewed relationship grounded in God’s mission of life for all.
Girl Child Sunday: The Church’s Continuing Witness
Despite significant progress, gender disparity remains a national concern. The 2011 Census recorded a child sex ratio of 919, lower than 2001’s 927, signalling a persistent bias against girls. Female foeticide, early marriage, child labour, and trafficking continue to threaten the rights and dignity of girl children. According to UNICEF, around 10 million girls in India are at risk of child marriage each year, and more than 12 million are engaged in child labour, many within informal and domestic sectors. Barriers to nutrition, healthcare, and secondary education remain widespread, particularly among the poor and marginalised. The CSI has continued to respond through advocacy, awareness, and partnerships with ecumenical and civil organisations, seeking to transform mindsets and influence policy.
Today, as the world moves toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the CSI’s initiative stands as a model of faith-based engagement in social transformation. Gender equality finds concrete expression in the Church’s enduring commitment to education, nutrition, and protection of girls. The call of Girl Child Sunday remains unchanged to create a world where every girl can live, learn, and lead with dignity. The Church continues to envision holistic interventions that strengthening families, improving access to education and healthcare, enforcing protective laws, and fostering moral renewal within congregations. Over the past twenty-five years, Girl Child Sunday has reshaped the conscience of the Church, reminding believers that faith without justice is incomplete, and that to affirm the girl child is to affirm the gospel itself. As the CSI marks this silver jubilee, it celebrates not merely a program but a pilgrimage of faith, justice, and love.
Renew Us, O Lord, for Hers Too Is the Kingdom*
Gracious Father,
As we prepare to make new beginnings, deepen our commitment to the cause of the girl child, that we may be sensitive to proclaim that theirs is the kingdom of God. Ignite and inflame us so that we may always strive to burn anew and stronger, in unison with You. Make our Church a living community of faith, ever moving forward with You beside us, to heal these pure yet broken ones of Your creation—for hers too is the kingdom of God.
After 2010, the CSI encouraged its local churches and institutions to integrate the concerns of the girl child into their ongoing mission activities. The 2014 campaign, therefore, represented not a new beginning but a renewed commitment, a call to strengthen what had already been sown. It aimed to address critical rights and justice issues related to education, nutrition, healthcare, and safety to securing the future of girls in India. As part of the initiative, care providers and community leaders were trained in protective legislation and mechanisms to safeguard the rights of children. Church members were encouraged to report violations and work in partnership with the State and National Commissions for the Protection of Child Rights. Beyond denominational boundaries, the CSI urged its members to collaborate with neighbours of all faiths to build a shared solidarity affirming the dignity of the girl child. Through Assure My Future, the Church of South India reaffirmed its vocation as a servant of life and justice, calling both Church and society to a renewed relationship grounded in God’s mission of life for all.
Girl Child Sunday: The Church’s Continuing Witness
Despite significant progress, gender disparity remains a national concern. The 2011 Census recorded a child sex ratio of 919, lower than 2001’s 927, signalling a persistent bias against girls. Female foeticide, early marriage, child labour, and trafficking continue to threaten the rights and dignity of girl children. According to UNICEF, around 10 million girls in India are at risk of child marriage each year, and more than 12 million are engaged in child labour, many within informal and domestic sectors. Barriers to nutrition, healthcare, and secondary education remain widespread, particularly among the poor and marginalised. The CSI has continued to respond through advocacy, awareness, and partnerships with ecumenical and civil organisations, seeking to transform mindsets and influence policy.
Today, as the world moves toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the CSI’s initiative stands as a model of faith-based engagement in social transformation. Gender equality finds concrete expression in the Church’s enduring commitment to education, nutrition, and protection of girls. The call of Girl Child Sunday remains unchanged to create a world where every girl can live, learn, and lead with dignity. The Church continues to envision holistic interventions that strengthening families, improving access to education and healthcare, enforcing protective laws, and fostering moral renewal within congregations. Over the past twenty-five years, Girl Child Sunday has reshaped the conscience of the Church, reminding believers that faith without justice is incomplete, and that to affirm the girl child is to affirm the gospel itself. As the CSI marks this silver jubilee, it celebrates not merely a program but a pilgrimage of faith, justice, and love.
Renew Us, O Lord, for Hers Too Is the Kingdom*
Gracious Father,
As we prepare to make new beginnings, deepen our commitment to the cause of the girl child, that we may be sensitive to proclaim that theirs is the kingdom of God. Ignite and inflame us so that we may always strive to burn anew and stronger, in unison with You. Make our Church a living community of faith, ever moving forward with You beside us, to heal these pure yet broken ones of Your creation—for hers too is the kingdom of God.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
*(A prayer shared in the 2000 Consultation on the Girl Child)
References
- Girl Child: A Commitment of the Church of South India. The South India Churchman, Sept. 2000.
- Devadoss, Richard. Personal communication. Former Director, Diaconal Ministry of the Church of South India.
- Ebenezer, Rev. Asir. “Church of South India Renews Commitment to Protecting Girls.” Anglican News, 2014, https://www.anglicannews.org/.
- United Nations. Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: Beijing+5 Political Declaration and Outcome. 1995. UN Women, 2014.
- Sen, Amartya. “More Than 100 Million Women Are Missing.” The New York Review of Books, 20 Dec. 1990.
- Centre for Women’s Development Studies. Emergence of the Women’s Question in India and the Role of Women’s Studies. New Delhi, 1985.
- Rajagopalan, Swarna. “Whose Security, Whose Development? Lessons from Campaigns against Female Infanticide in Tamil Nadu.” Political Transition and Development Imperatives in India, edited by Ranabir Samaddar, Routledge, 2012.
- Chunkath, Sheela Rani, and V. B. Athreya. “Female Infanticide in Tamil Nadu—Some Evidence.” Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 32, no. 17, 26 Apr. 1997, pp. WS21–WS27.
- India. The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 (Act No. 57 of 1994). Government of India.
- National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. Annual Report 2014–15. Government of India, 2015.
- Various issues of The South India Churchman and CSI Life, the official magazines of the Church of South India.
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