By Lahiru Pothmulla
The protection of girl children was a great responsibility of a civilized society, Child Development and Women's Affairs Minister Tissa Karaliyadda said. Addressing the International Day of the Girl Child celebration held on Friday at the Maharagama Youth Centre, he said it was a great achievement to have an International Day for Girl Children to address their issues.  
“The world will be a better place when people treat every woman as their own daughter, sister or mother. Empowering girl children with knowledge and intelligence is also vital for the future of the country,” he said. This year’s celebration of the International Girl Child Day was held for the third year under the theme ‘Daughter, you are our future.’ The first Girl Child Day was celebrated in 2012 following a proposal presented to the United Nation’s 55th session on women’s welfare in 2011.