As the UN says, “gender equality is a fundamental human right.” It is not only a fundamental human right but also the basis for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. SDG 5 aims at gender equality, equal opportunities, empowering girls and women, and the right to self-determination, and it is shortened to achieve by 2030. Making up half of the world’s population, women and girls are the intense focus of this goal, but it is not to be limited by gender. Although we know that currently, gender encompasses many terms, the United Nations is mostly referring to women and girls within this goal. However, to achieve the targets of this goal, not only women and girls but this includes LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) or the LGBTTQ community (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexual, Intersex, Queer people).  They should be able to grow up self-confident, self-determined, and non-violent. They should be able to go to school, work in politics and in leadership positions, and much, much more. Furthermore, Goal 5 focuses on inclusion and on integrating people with disabilities; so, a very broad field.

SDG 5 is emphasized “achieve gender quality and empower all women and girls”, or simply “Gender Equality”. It has nine targets and fourteen indicators.  SDG 5 is focused on pursuing the main goal of real and sustained gender equality in all aspects of women and girls’ lives which includes:

  1. ending gender disparities,
  2. eliminating violence against women and girls’ lives,
  3. eliminating early and forced marriage,
  4. securing equal participation and opportunities for leadership,
  5. universal access to sexual and reproductive rights, and
  6. recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work.

Any progress have we made so far? International commitments to advance gender equality have brought about improvements in some areas: child marriage, female foeticide, inequality, and experienced physical and/ or sexual violence or non-partner sexual violence. 1 in 3 girls aged 15-19 have experienced some form of female genital mutilation/cutting in the 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East, where the harmful practice is most common with a high risk of prolonged bleeding, infection (including HIV), childbirth complications, infertility, and death. The COVID-19 lockdown further caused domestic violence to increase in many countries, indicating the critical importance of social protection for the weaker sex.

Goal Hard Hit by Covid 19:

In many parts of the globe,  female genital mutilation (FGM) and female foeticide have declined in recent years, and women’s representation in the political arena and many other leading roles  is higher than ever before. But the promise of a world in which every woman and girl enjoys full gender equality, and where all legal, social, and economic barriers to their empowerment have been removed, remains unfulfilled. In fact, that goal is probably even more distant than before, since women and girls are being hit hard by the pandemic. Women and girls perform a disproportionate share of unpaid domestic work. Inequalities faced by girls can begin right at birth and follow them all their lives. In some countries, girls are deprived of access to healthcare or proper nutrition, leading to a higher domestic violence and mortality rate.

How much progress have we made? Unfortunately, this is the case in many parts of the world – and the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities for women and girls. In many places, there has been talk of a “double pandemic” because violence against women and people in the queer community has increased significantly due to the pandemic. According to Oxfam, during the first lockdown of 2020, there were 111% more calls to aid hotlines in Malaysia, 79% in Colombia, 73% in Italy, and 69% in South Africa. Within 12 months, one out of five women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 have experienced physical or sexual violence from their partner. Even so, 49 countries do not have laws protecting women from domestic violence. It shows still we have miles to go.

What can I do to Solve This:

If you are a girl, you can stay in school at least for basic and middle education this will help empower you to help your female classmates to do the same and fight for your right to equality and to access sexual and reproductive health services. If you are a woman, you can address unconscious biases which form an invisible barrier to equal opportunity. If you are a man or a boy, you can work alongside women and girls to achieve gender equality and embrace healthy, respectful relationships. Eliminating the wage gap could also benefit the world economy in many other ways. Domestic chores should not be restricted to girls.

The goal now is to keep promoting gender equality while replacing old systems based on discrimination and outdated mindsets.

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Stories are the best way to come closer to children and Dr Monica Khanna is doing fabulous work in that sense. It’s always mesmerizing to read the stories she creates. Not only the kids, but even parents enjoy every bit of them.

Little Chimpu’s adventure through the jungle wherein she discovers the truth about ferocious Sher Dadu, is a beautiful story about finding friends in the most unlikely of people.

This picture book is such a delight to read. The book is beautifully illustrated with a good story line and strong vocabulary. I liked in this book is using the relations like ‘chachu’, ‘mamu’ and others which the kids are missing due to nuclear family... I must say the author has touched the chord of the heart with the sweet language used in the book..It’s a must read book for all the young kids.

A Wormy Tale is a delightful picture story book that offers the curious mind of a child the perfect blend of fun and relatable characters, vibrant illustrations and significant learnings that seep in with simplicity and are finally sealed with the array of activities it offers. This is a book with a wholesome experience, so read on!

This lovely book teaches you to think smart and not get carried away by appearances. Best wishes to Dr Monica Khanna for her amazing creation.

Dr. Monica Khanna has come out with one more offering for you all. Such a wonderful and endearing story! It takes us to that time of our lives when we believed that everything around us is black or white. Childhood is so much fun and so full of innocence. The characters in this story are so believable, with human-like qualities. Kind, gentle, witty, intelligent, sharp, sly and so on... Each young reader will enjoy reading this story because it is so relatable. You can find people with such qualities all around you.

The well-crafted, colourful illustrations of the enthusiastic musicians among insects – grasshoppers, katydids and hawkmoths, the frogs with their crafty expressions and the thoughtful busy bee, make it a lively read. Woven into the story are the fun facts of each insect, making it educative and inspiring too, thus inculcating the love of nature to early readers.

Katie Bagli’s new book promises to bring back the concert we have missed ever since the pandemic hit us. She beautifully weaves science and fiction, urging her young readers to learn about the techniques used by the wetland musicians - the grasshoppers, the katydids and the hawkmoths. Then there are the subtle values and undertones that make for great learning for children the vacation in nature, the loving aunt, the dutiful bee, or even the love for the garden insects.

Katie Bagli’s stories are filled with wild imagination yet grounded in facts.She brings to life the mundane and often overlooked facts with wit and humour, in her stories, as also in ‘The Insect Concert’. Her characters are driven by a moral so subtle that children may hardly realize the important life values they are imbibing just by reading her books. Her stories are lessons in science and art as each panel bursts into vivacious colours and tickles the imagination of the young reader. Truly delightful and a must read for all.

This book ‘Insect Concert’ by Katie Bagli is another gem from her treasure trove of stories about nature. Through a simple yet novel story, she manages to develop an interest in the animal kingdom and also provide a new learning. There are some activities too which children will enjoy. The illustrations add to the storyline and make the book more interesting for the young reader. I wish Katie more power to her pen.

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Alpha Zone book – ‘Sunny Side Up’ - shows the variety of food that is present round the world. All of us know the common pizza or burger but there are many delicious dishes out there that many have not experienced. This book encourages us to be curious and to learn, enjoy and experience the art of the culinary skill.

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Children’s literature largely trivialises and glosses over such issues such as gender or colour biases. But this book deals with the sensitive issue of our proclivity or preference for fair skin colour. In the context of the Indian subcontinent, such debates and discussions should be encouraged so that children grow up with a healthy self-image and grow up with the right attitudes that skin colour is secondary to inner beauty. Dr Monica’s sensitive handling of this subject deserves to be applauded. Kudos!

This book talks about the fact that beauty has no standards - it’s the way one looks at one own self. I am sure this book will surely attract young readers. I wish all the best for the book.

Kudos to Books33 for coming up with a separate segment of Children Books under its imprint Alpha Zone. Your initiative will definitely make parents and teachers understand the importance of inculcating reading habits in your kids right from their young age. I appreciate Dr Monica Khanna for her bookSunny Side Up’ and love its ‘kahani mein twist’ which made it all the more exciting.

A lovely rhyming style and delightful words make this book effortlessly readable. Dr Khanna addresses a vital issue of our times in this allegorical tale of female crow.

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Kyra’s Return Flight conveys through a delightful story the very important message that there is great joy and power in accepting ourselves as we are,and not falling prey to harmful social prejudices about what is attractive or good. I greatly recommend this wonderful book about loving oneself!

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‘Sunny Side Up’ is a delightfully wicked book! A complete treat for kids of all shapes, sizes and taste; those who fuss around their meals and those who devour their food. A visual treat for the eyes that moistened my curiosity palate, as I turned each page to follow Sunny’s exciting culinary adventures. An astonishing finale, that enhanced some beautiful childhood memories.

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My compliments to the author for developing rich and novel content in an area that still lies underexplored. With so little information available on body language in the Indian context, I can imagine how much hard work
would have gone into creating a book like this. This book is beautifully crafted in terms of quality content and relevance in the current context.

Former General Manager from State Bank of India

An Electrical Engineer and a first-generation entrepreneur with PhD in Management

Has been working in the corporate world for the last 10 years

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A student of IBDP program (at DYPIS) in Mumbai, India

Analyst at Deloitte USI

A 15-year-old student of class 10 at Apeejay School - Panchsheel Park, New Delhi

A 15-year-old student of class 10 at St. Mary’s ICSE School, Navi Mumbai.

An M.A. in English Literature from Tezpur University, Assam

A NIFT graduate and a professional Jewellery Designer

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Currently pursuing BDS & aspires to become a successful writer

A Communication Professor & Authorpreneur

English Language and Personality Development skills Trainer

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Winner of ‘Mrs Karnataka’ and ‘Inner Beauty’ titles

A 13-year old 8th grader studying in Mangaluru, Karnataka

Student of English Honours at Calcutta University, West Bengal

A student of airport handling at YMCA, Delhi.

An engineer by profession and a writer by passion

Author & co-author of multiple books and anthologies

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A Grade-III student of Silver Oaks International School, Hyderabad

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3rd grader studying in Silver Oaks International School, Hyderabad

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