A student got to be the British Deputy High Commissioner for a day to mark ‘International Day of the Girl Child’ on Friday.
Among 140 national entries, Ambalika Bannerjee, from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media (IIJNM), was chosen to be the British Deputy High Commissioner for a day as part of the Commission’s programmes to encourage gender equality.
This is the second instalment of the programme. Ambalika was shortlisted based on her video on social media where she spoke about gender equality under the hashtag ‘day of the girl’. The video garnered more than 300 views on Instagram.
Addressing mediapersons, Jeremy Pilmore-Bedford, the British Deputy High Commissioner, Bengaluru, said, “This programme spans the country wherein we had young women filling in for the post for a day to highlight UK’s passionate support for women’s rights and issues against gender violence and workplace discrimination.”
The day involved a visit to TESCO with the aim of encouraging women in the technology sphere, exploring the barriers they face and recognising areas for a better work environment, and also to promote female entrepreneurship. On a visit to Whitefield Rising, Ms. Ambalika took note of the female representation in the organisation whose members have been at the forefront of several initiatives.
Talking to The Hindu , Ms. Bannerjee said, “It is a good start. While it cannot eradicate the entirety of our problems, it is setting a benchmark for future endeavours towards betterment.”
The British High Commission also intends to augment collaborations and extend its help to achieve gender parity. “We had programmes for training media on sensitive reporting of sexual assault cases, and Delhi oversaw allied initiatives regarding human rights and gender violence,” said an official from the Commission.
