Like how Jesus said “TalithaKoum” and raised the dead girl, today we should also be able to hold the hand and raise our girls who have been challenged due to many reasons. It is our duty to affirm the worth of girls- the worth that God has given. But due to many reasons their rights and protection are being challenged. In this context, the response of the church towards this is discussed here. We can see in the Bible that God through His son cared and strengthened the weak and the outcaste. Love that never showed any discrimination was manifested through Jesus Christ. In it there is no difference between male and female (Galatians 3: 28). A mentality to respect and accept the girls in our society should be achieved through this meditation. Their talents are for the good of the society and a blessing to their family. But challenges for the girls still continue even at present. Right from being a foetus in their mother’s womb to the grave they face challenges. Foeticide, infanticide, women trafficking, rape, dowry, domestic violence are a few to mention. Ram Ahuja, a scholar has classified these into three: 1) criminal violence 2) domestic violence 3) social violence.

Each year these crimes are steadily on the rise. In India, taking just five years into consideration, while in the year 2006 there were 1,64,765 cases, in the year 2010 it increased to 2,13,585. In the past two years, in Kerala alone, around 23,853 cases of crime against girls were registered and out of that 6870 were rape cases. We have reached an age when women have lost their security in homes and workplaces. The growth of media and the strides in internet, mobile phones and social media all pose a problem to the protection of the dignity of girls. It is here that we should meditate on a Biblical basis the concern that we should have for girls.

1. The Rights of Girls should be Protected (Numbers 27: 1- 11)
Girls should also be given rights is a thought that God told Moses. The five daughters of Zelophehad- Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, Tirzah- came in front of Moses, Eleazer the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly and requested that they be given their father’s inheritance. Moses brought this case before the Lord. God replied that what Zelophehad’s daughters say is right and that they should be given inheritance. The rights of the girls should not be refused.

2. Girls in Christian Mission (Acts 21: 7- 14)
In the first century Church, girls were also involved in the Christian Mission. We see an example for this in Acts 21: 7 -14. Luke talks about the prophesying daughters of Philip (Acts 21:9). Even though they were little girls (unmarried) they prophesied. We understand from this that in the ministry of teaching the word of God even little girls are used.

3. TalithaKoum (Mark 5: 35- 43)
In the family, girls should get more protection and care. We see in Mark 5: 35 – 43, the dead daughter of the synagogue leader being raised. Jesus invited only the parents to the place where the child lay. If parents and Christ stay together any lifeless situation in children will receive life. Parents should lead children to the Lord. We can see in the Gospels and in Acts of Apostles many parents who are burdened by their weak and dead daughters approaching Jesus (Mark 5: 21-24, 35-43; Acts 9:36-43). It is in the family that a girl’s protection is to be established first and, in that, parents should be more careful. Parents should take a note of their education, their friendships and their needs. Paul in Ephesians 6:4 gives this advice “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord”. According to Indian culture girls are married and send to another family and so right from their childhood they develop a feeling of alienation in their own family and a thought that they are to go to another house that is alien to them haunts them mentally. In the new house again she is alienated as ‘a girl who came in’. Therefore a ‘space’ is necessary for girls. It should begin from her own family itself, for a love that is manifested through Christ is her right. Like how Jesus took the dead girl by her hand raised her to life instructed to give her something to eat, even now girls who are weak and exploited due to various reasons are taken by the hand, raised and given a new life by Jesus in His great love. Not only that, He reminds the rest of us who are responsible to make sure that their future life is safe and secure. Jesus’ gospel is a gospel of freedom, peace and protection. Gospel declares freedom to any oppressed society. We should affirm the worth of the girls- the worth that the Bible gives.