Rethinking Rehabilitation: For The Girl Child in The Indian Context

The paper seeks to analyse the methods of rehabilitation and their effects on the at-risk and affected girl child in the Indian context. Abandonment in India, specifically in the case of girl child, is an amalgamation of a number of socio-economic factors at the foundation of which lies the problem of patriarchy. Each child when they arrive at a rehabilitative facility comes with a past description, which is at least traumatic. It then becomes the mission of the rehabilitation process to socially reintegrate the child through mental (including psychological and emotional), physical and educational training. However, close observation of such facilities-both governmental and non-governmental-has brought to light a lack of personalised care determinate upon past circumstances. The paper extends its period of analysis to the first decade of the twenty-first century (2000–2010). It has used case studies from STOP's rescue and rehabilitation database during the concerned period. All case studies are primary data that were received by the organisation while carrying out extensive rescue operations and community intervention work across New Delhi, India. The paper in making its argument suggests that current rehabilitative methods in India lack a personalised approach that does not take into account specific needs of the girl child depending upon her past circumstances. It then uses a multi-layered approach to construct a longterm alternative rehabilitation structure premised upon providing personalised and empathetic care through a rights-based approach.