Allow her to be born

[MAITRI]

http://www.csrindia.org/index.php/centre-for-social-research/519-allow-her-to-be-born

elebrate the birth of a girl child - Centre for Social Research

New Delhi, January 24, 2011: "A daughter is said to be the happy
memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope
and promise of the future". Commemorating the ‘National Girl Child’s
Day’, Centre for Social Research brings out eminence of woman in India
who is struggling and fighting for her survival.

The practice of sex-selective abortion in India has buckled the
natural sex ratio, in favor of males. Hence, India has one of the most
skewed sex ratios in the world, with fewer than 925 women for every
1,000 men, due to its bias against baby girls. The major cause behind
the practice of female foeticide is the pre-natal sex selection which
is a growing phenomenon and a threat to our society. According to
federal government statistics, more than 10 million girls have been
"missing" in India over the past two decades because of sex-selection
abortion. The declining sex ratio in India has been a matter of major
concern since the 1980’s and has continued to increase with so signs
of overturn. According to the Census, the number of girls per 1000
boys’ aged 0-6 yr was 976 in 1961, 964 in 1971, 962 in 1981, 945 in
1991 and 927 in 2001. The sharpest decline in child sex ratio in the
year 2001 was observed in Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh
and Chandigarh. Even Delhi recorded a decline in the sex ratio of only
821 per 1000 males according to the 2001 census.

Thus, the capital too does not seem to be spared from the practice of
sex- selection. Delhi ranks third in the country after Punjab and
Haryana in terms of Sex selective abortions, where the rich, high-
class families provide far more intolerance of girl child than their
rural counterparts. Hence, the problem is not just about the
preferences of Indian families, but the aid these families are given
by modern medical technology and greed of the medical fraternity.

Another cause behind the declining sex ratio is the impediment to
maternal health. The Lancet series (2011), recently released in India
has shown its concern towards its declining sex ratio where the study
reveals that sex based disparities exist in fetal, infant and child
mortality. The findings present that fertility and maternal mortality
continue to affect women and girls at a larger rate. Marriage of girls
at young age, inadequate access to and control over use of family
planning, contraceptives, and abortion services are directly
attributable to the low health status of women and girls in the
society. Substantial unmet need of contraception still remains,
pregnancies at the adolescent stage are common and access to safe
abortion is still inadequate and the young, rural and poverty affected
women are the most vulnerable affected ones. India also has lower
health-care use for women than for men.

A further major concern in India, affecting women, maternal health and
child health is the intersection of gender based violence. Owning to
the increasing number of cases pertaining to domestic violence in the
country, statistics show that more than one third of wives in India
are affected by the physical and sexual abuse by their husbands It is
one of the most pervasive forms of human rights violation, denying a
woman’s and girl’s security, equality, dignity and her right to enjoy
fundamental freedoms.

In a recent survey conducted by Centre for Social Research, it has
been found that nearly five crore married women in India suffer from
Domestic Violence. Just 1 out of 1000 cases of domestic violence case
gets reported. And out the 100 cases that are investigated under 498A
of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the accused gets conviction only in 2
cases. In fact, some of those who come forward often do so only after
abuse have escalated to a point of severe, life-threatening violence.

"Even after 60 years of independence of the country, it is
disheartening to see that the women of our country are still
struggling to live an independent carefree life. Detained by the
primitive mindedness of societal norms, the women of our country are
still striving to breathe freely, says Dr Ranjana Kumari, Director,
Centre for Social Research(CSR).

In order reduce the problem of sex selective abortions, CSR launched
the ‘Meri Shakti Meri Beti Campaign’ in 2009. Looking at the success
of the project the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (GOI), has
assigned CSR to replicate the project in the Ambala and Kurukshetra
districts of Haryana with 20 more villages and 10 blocks. A
participatory approach towards the State level, District Level and
Block Level Functionaries, MLAs/MPs, Panchayat Heads, Community
Leaders, Religious Leaders, High Risk Communities, NGOs and INGOs is
being adopted along with special innovative programs with school and
college students to spread awareness among the community.

"Celebrating ‘National Girl Child Day’ solely cannot pay homage to the
life of a girl, but celebrating her individuality as an identical
member of her family, community and country can only pay her a tribute
in the true sense. It is the duty of each individual in the society to
emphasize the importance of the girl child and stop discriminating
between a girl and boy. A daughter is an infinite gift who will one
day play the role of a wife and giving life to another soul in the
society," further adds Dr Kumari.