New Delhi, Oct. 12 -- Protecting the girl child must become a core priority of digital governance, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan R Gavai emphasised on Saturday, underlining that safeguarding her today means not only securing her future in classrooms and workplaces but also on every screen she encounters. Delivering the keynote address at the National Annual Stakeholders Consultation on the theme "Safeguarding the Girl Child: Towards a Safer and Enabling Environment for Her in India," the CJI warned that the threats faced by young girls today extend far beyond physical spaces into the "vast and often unregulated digital world." In an era where innovation defines progress, technology must be harnessed as "a tool for liberation rather than exploitation," said the CJI. "The protection of the girl child must be a core priority of digital governance," he stressed, adding that laws dealing with online sexual exploitation, digital trafficking, and cyber harassment must be paired with "effective enforcement, education and awareness initiatives." CJI Gavai said that while the digital revolution has opened new avenues of learning and opportunity, it has also created unprecedented vulnerabilities for young girls - from online harassment and cyberbullying to misuse of personal data and deepfake imagery. "Safeguarding the girl child today means securing her future in classrooms, workplaces, and on every screen she encounters," he emphasised. According to Justice Gavai, laws addressing online sexual exploitation, digital trafficking, and cyber harassment must be paired with effective enforcement, education, and awareness initiatives. Justice Gavai emphasised that the protection and empowerment of the girl child lie at the heart of the Constitution's transformative vision. "If the collective conscience of a nation is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable, then the strength and destiny of that nation are inextricably linked to the well-being and empowerment of its daughters," he said. He called upon institutions and policymakers to introspect whether protection has truly translated into empowerment, and whether society enables every girl "to be seen, heard and valued."...