An Outlook on The Biggest Social Issue - Female Foeticide

Jasmine Tiwana, Lecturer in Deptt. of Commerce and Management, Khalsa College, Patiala and Dr. Jasmindeep Kaur, Lecturer in Deptt of Commerce, Punjabi University, Patiala

One of the greatest threats to our contemporary society is the menace of skewed sex ratio. Female foeticide is one the nefarious crime in this world. The statistics shows that there is still a very high preference for a male child in states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab etc. The male to female ratio in these states shows that the percentage of males to females is higher. Advances in medical technology have made Indians to find ingenuous ways in using it for their advantage. The people aspiring for a male child are using ultrasound scanning for determining the sex of the unborn child and the mother is forced to abort the female child. This is not a small problem but one of the biggest social issues. There is a need to change the mindset of men as well as family members because in many cases grandparents support their sons to kill their granddaughter. The main reason for the female infanticide is exorbitant dowry demand. Some of the other reasons are the belief that son looks after parents in old age, men are bread earners and can perform the last rituals. The strong male preference and the consequent elimination of the female has continued to increase rather than decline with the spread of education. The increase in female foeticide has seen a proportionate decrease in female sex ratio and if the decline is not checked the very delicate equilibrium of nature can be permanently destroyed. Due to excessive female infanticide in the northern and western states of India, there were strong agitations to curb the evil of female foeticide. Similar efforts at the national level resulted in the enactment of the Central pre-natal diagnostic techniques (Regulation and prevention of misuse) Act 1994. The act has two aspects viz., regulatory and preventive. It seeks to regulate the use of pre-natal diagnostic techniques for medical purposes and prevent the misuse for illegal purposes. The PNDT Act should strictly penalize and punish the violators of this crime. The pernicious acts of female foeticide must end before the women becomes endangered species. The present paper highlights the present status of female foeticides, causes and steps taken to curb them.

BANGALORE: Karnataka's futile battle against female foeticide has ended up in a paradox. While the state's sex ratio (females per 1,000 male) is highest in 90 years, the child sex ratio (0-6 years) is the lowest in six decades. Fresh data from the provisional population totals of Census 2011 shows that over 50% of Karnataka's 30 districts recorded a decline in child sex ratio in the past decade. Three districts -Koppal, Kodagu and Mandya -- managed to retain the 2001 child sex ratio. In the past 10 years, Karnataka's overall sex ratio improved by three points to 968, while the child sex ratio dropped by three points to 943. Impoverished Chamarajnagar (-22 points) recorded the maximum fall in the child sex ratio figures in the past decade, followed by Haveri (-17 points), Davanagere and Raichur (both -15 points). Newly carved out Ramanagaram district showed a dramatic improvement in the sex ratio of child population, improving figures by +15 points. WOMEN NOW LIVE LONGER The curious trend of rising sex ratio and declining child sex ratio in Karnataka has got demographers thinking. "One of the key reasons for this paradox is mortality. Women now live longer than men in India and also in the state. But in the 0-6 year range, one has to look beyond infant mortality. Female foeticide is one of the main reasons for the continuous drop in the child sex ratio," said K S James, head, Population Research Centre, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore. Karnataka's current overall sex ratio of 968 (females per 1,000 males) is the highest since 1921. The child sex ratio (0-6 years) of 943 is the lowest in over half-a-century now. The pecking order in Karnataka changes according to the age of the population. According to Census 2011, Udupi has the best overall sex ratio of 1,093 females per 1,000 males in Karnataka, and Bangalore the worst (908). Concerning child sex ratio, Karnataka's smallest district -- Kodagu -- has the highest of 977 girls per 1,000 boys, while Bagalkot (929) has the lowest child sex ratio in the state. When it comes to population aged 7 and above, it is Dakshina Kannada (1,026) that tops the list, while Bangalore (904) ends up at the bottom of the table.

The problem of the missing girl child or the practice of female foeticide is not uncommon to the country. This practice robs missing daughters not only of their right to a healthy environment, good nutrition and education and the opportunity to reach their full potential, but most basically, their right to birth. Among the 18 indicators of women empowerment, sex ratio is the 1st and most important indicator for social empowerment of women. Although the census 2001 has registered marginal improvement in the overall sex ratio from 927 female per 1000 male in 1991 to 933 females in 2001, the sex ratio in the age group 0-6 has sharply declined from 945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001.The decline has been very sharp in the prosperous north Indian states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. In Punjab the gap in the sex ratio in the age group of 0 to 6years has reached an all time high of 207, while it is 155 in Chandigarh, 121 in Haryana and 135 in Delhi. The ratio has declined even in Maharasthra, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Gujrat, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal which have done better in other gender development indices (NIPCCD 2008).

Sex Selection and Female Foeticide

The phenomenon of missing daughters over the past two decades is the biggest challenge to Indias growth and development today. Failure to protect the girl child is no longer just a health issue but an important child protection issue, deserving immediate and utmost attention. The 2001 census data and other studies illustrate the terrible impact of sex selection in India over the last decade-and-a-half. The child sex ratio (0-6 years) declined from 945 girls per 1,000 boys in 1991 to 927 in the 2001 census. The 10 districts with the worst sex ratios in the country- all below 800- specially all in Haryana and Punjab. A study of births in three public and five private hospitals in Delhi between 1993 and 2002 found that sex ratios get worse according to birth order. Thus if the sex ratio for the 1st born is 923 girls for every 1,000 boys among first-born children, it is 731: 1000 among second children and 407: 1000 among third children, as the desperation for a son increases with increasing birth order. In another study it founds that in Andhra Pradesh, the child sex ration decline is to tune of 11 points from 975 in 1991 to 964 in 2001. The factors influencing sex ration are son preference, sex selected abortions [Rajni, A (2007), Vergeshese, Joe., et.al (2008)]. Table -1 Sex ratio among the states in India State Punjab Haryana Gujrat 1991 875 879 928 2001 793 820 878

Maharashtra

946

917

(Source: census of India, 2001) The 2001 census report revealed that low sex ratio in Haryana, particularly in the urban areas and attributed it to the male selective migration to the urban areas and also to easy access to sex selective technology. Some of the prevailing facts in the state of Haryana: one of them was that women-both Hindus and Muslims in Purdah were made to believe that they were not equal and the girl child made to feel burdensome and a liability. The horrible fact that a buffalo being worth more than a woman. Buffaloes are sold for Rs 25000 to Rs 30000 which a woman can be sold for Rs 5000/- (Sister Gertrude, Deepti Ashram, Haryana- Experiences in the states: Govt. and voluntary Sector Responses). In Delhi, the literacy rate was 81.8 against the national average i.e 65.4 and also the per capita income is higher than the national average. However, the situation of the girl child had worsened. It was in Delhi that the first foetal sex determination facility was made available. Today, one in seven girls fetuses are eliminated due to the intense discrimination against girls. Pregnancy has become the riskiest phase in the life-cycle of a woman in Delhi. The most disheartening and discouraging facts were the active participation of the medical profession in escalating this evil through new technologies, starting from ultra-sonography to sophisticated sex-selection processes. The culpable role played by new technology, has also been proved by the recent census report where the 10 best rated districts in the country are those where technology has not reached and nature plays a more dominant role. A study by NIPCCD-2008 found that the mushrooming of ultrasound clinics and the ability to pay for abortions has been expressed by all the respondents as the major factors responsible for contributing to the declining sex ratio. The main reason perceived for not wanting daughters is Dowry system by all the respondents. By and large abortions in Haryana have been performed in the hospital or in a private clinic. In Delhi apart from hospital and private clinics, women are taking a high risk by getting abortions, done through Dais at home. The availability of ultrasound facility for detecting a childs sex, has been reported by women (88%), men (78%), dais (30.8%), CDPOs (66.7%), supervisors (81.8%), AWWs (63.3%), MOs (33.3%), LHVs (70%) and ANMs (73.3%). Similarly, Bose, Ashish (2001) has examined the most alarming finding namely, the sharp decline in the female/ male ratio, among the children in the 0-6 age group, in the face of an increase in the sex ratio of the total population. In 1991 the sex ratio for the total population was 927, it increased to 933 in 2001, an increase of six points, in contrast, the sex ratio of the child population (0-6 age group) which was 945 in 1991 decrease to 927, a decrease of 18 points. He explained in short the girl child (below 6 years) has lost out badly inspite of numerous projects and programmes, seminars and conferences focusing attention on the girl child for over a decade. He explained the decline in the sex ratio of the child population is a secular trend. In 1961, the sex ratio in the 0-6 age group was 946, it declined to 964 in

1971, to 962 in 1981 and to 945 in 1991. But the sharpest decline has been during 19912001. He examined the causes for decline of the sex ratio of the child population. They are: Neglect of the girl child resulting in their higher mortality at younger ages. Higher maternal mortality Sex selective female abortion Female infanticide Change in sex ratio at birth

He explained that there is no doubt that increasing use of prenatal sex determination tests and female feticide must have contributed significantly to the significant decline in the sex ratio in the last two decades. Sen, Amartya (2003) points out in his cover story essay in frontline, taking together all the evidences that exists, it is clear that sharp fall in child sex ratio reflects on not arising in female child mortality, but a fall in female births vis--vis male births, and is almost certainly connected with increased availability and use of gender determination of fetuses. Similarly, In the Article Girl Child Mira Seth explained, the position of the girl child seems to have deteriorated after the first millennia, especially the north Indian states, due to widespread polygamy and practice of sex selection among upper class women became rampant. Delhi locally, rampant use of ultrasound to determine the sex of the foetus for eliminating it if found to be female, and easy access to this facility since early 80s, is seen to be the single dominated factor contributing to the rapid decline in the child sex ratio. Reportedly, there are about 28,565 ultrasound clinics currently in our country (Pereira, Maxwell 2006).

Factors:
Son preference is influenced by many socio-economic and cultural factors such as: the son being responsible for carrying forward the family name, contributing to family income/ occupation being considered a source of support during old age, of religious rites at the time of cremation; practice of dowry and the daughter was being viewed as Paraya dhan*. Further, in agricultural households, due to rivalries and animosity resulting from land disputes, male off springs are considered as a source of power. In other way, Parents also feel that they have to spend large amounts on the marriage of their daughters, along with offering dowries. Even if the girl is educated and employed, the benefits go to her-in-laws, not to her parents. Hence, having girls and spending on them is burdensome. When the son is educated and employed, he provides security to the parents. The son also brings dowry at the time of the marriage. In other way the rural people are thinking the son is considered as security of the old age of the parents and the obsession for a son is a structural and cultural affliction of Indian society. The possibility of diagnosing genetic defects initiated research on ante-natal sex determination. Other reasons for adverse sex ratio could be preference for son, neglect of girl child resulting in higher mortality rate at a younger age, higher maternal mortality rate and decrease in life expectancy of women. Mankar Jyoti (2008) mentioned that exploitation of the women by the women is one of the major cause behind female foeticide, this study may help in giving guidelines to take up corrective actions to change their attitude towards girl child. (Social Welfare, July-Aug, Vol. 55, No. 4-5).

The increase in rate of female foeticide is a result of the greed and unethical practices of the medical community. The enforcement of the laws against female foeticide is poor, with a very low rate of prosecution of offenders, including the medical practioners, and extremely poor conviction rate. Bahuguna, Jugran Nitin (2010) quoted regarding Does Delhi wants Girls. Medical technologies have played a crucial role in reinforcing negative patriarchal systems that demand male heirs. Amnicentesis was first introduced in India in 1975 by the All- India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi for detecting congenital deformities in fetuses. By the mid 1980s, it was being largely misused to determine the sex of the unborn child and to carry out sex-selective abortions in Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana. Dr Bedi says Doctors and community are actively involved in this crime of female foeticide. Similarly, another study stated that the sex determination clinics have mushroomed in the past two decades in big towns and cities of India. Only in 1985 about 40,000 female fetuses were selectively aborted in Bombay. 8000 cases of abortion in a clinic showed that 7999 of them involved female foetus (Bag K.R, 2008). For every two million ultrasounds and one million abortions are done and most of these abortions are female foeticide, says Dr Puneet Bedi, an gynaecologist with Appollo Hospital. Child sex ratio has marked a sharp decline to below 900 girls per 1000 boys in Haryana, Delhi, Punjab and Gujrat as per the 2001 census. Surprisingly, the southwest district of Delhi, Kurukshetra in Haryana and Chandigarh which are considered the prosperous regions, have recorded the worst 50 point decline in the child sex ratio in the last decade (The Asian Age (14-09-2005).

Female Foeticide: Social Implication

The demographic dynamics of Indian society are likely to have severe repercussions because of the inherent and traditional bias against women. This is operating as a negative force to produce a skewed society of the future. The position of the female child is more miserable in India than in any other part of the world. The reasons have to be located in socio-psychological domains. According to Manu, the lawgiver, a woman cannot attain Moksha and has to be reborn as a man for redemption. According to him, a woman is a field and man is the master (owner). It demonstrates her inferior position. Furthermore, a man cannot attain moksha unless he has a son. A male offspring alone guarantees moksha. Manu states: A man can gain both worlds through a son and gains eternity through a grandson. He prescribed that a woman who gives birth to daughters may be left in the eleventh year of marriage. This was the social reality in the later Vedic period. Indian society permitted celibacy for men but did not permit the same for women, who were expected to find their salvation in marriage and service of the husband and family. The girl child is so much hatred by the society that she is not even allowed to take birth. She faces inequality everywhere but in India she often does not even get a fighting chance to lead a healthy and productive life. Instead, girls are devalued as human beings from the day they are born and even before they are born.

Gender ratio in our country in our country is shifting heavily in favour of males. A continuing decline in sex ratio secondary to sex-selective abortion has many potentially serious consequences. Although there are no historical models to learn about the implications of lack of women related to men, one fairly obvious social consequence is that there are not enough women for the men to marry. This paucity of potential brides might result in girls being married at a younger age. Increasing number of child brides will further contribute to the poor status of women, as they will be less likely to finish school or develop job skills before marriage. Lack of women in the future society can lead to rape, polyandry and other such as social abnormalities. UNFPA also pointed out the child sex ratio is a powerful indicator of social health of any society. Sex selection has seen many faces and forms: From female infanticide to female foeticide and the technologically sophisticated pre-conceptional sex selection. The adverse child sex ratio can severely impact the delicate equilibrium of nature and destroy our moral and social fabric. Contrary to what many believe, lesser number of girls in a society will not enhance their status. Instead, this could lead to increase violence against women, rape, abduction, trafficking and onset of practices such as polyandry. In certain parts of the country, women are being bought as brides too. Dr. Syeda Hameed member, planning commission spoke in the National Seminar on Female Foeticide: Challenges (Sept 13-14, 2005) & strategies for change, (Sarojini Naidu Centre for Womens Studies, Jamia) of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) and how the eightgoals target have to be reached by the year 2015.However, so far, India is on target (for the period ending 2005) as far as poverty and education is concerned; while child mortality and female foeticide are nowhere near the mark. She also expressed that there were over 150 districts, where the sex ratio was very adverse and the situation was only getting worse. The census statistics showed that The sharp decline in sex ratio is a matter of great concern, as it is expected to lead to serious demographic imbalances and social consequences.(Dr Girija Vyas, Chairperson, NCW). Female foeticide is a gross violation of many rights; namely: the right of a female child to be born, right of a woman to take decisions about her health and family, her right to satisfying and health sex life, to decide about pregnancy, and access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of family planning and the right to a safe pregnancy, child birth and a healthy infant.

Other Consequences:
Loss of women is likely to have negative consequences on the economy, since women are a vital part of Indias labour force. Devaluation of girls will also give impetus to the practice girls being married at younger age. Increased numbers of child brides further contributes to the poor status of women, as they are less likely to finish school or develop job skills before marriage. Young brides and their children are more likely to suffer from increased morbidity and mortality associated with early childbirth. Moreover, there will be an increase in acts of violence against girls and women, e.g rape, abduction, trafficking

Ironically, in some villages the elimination of the girl child has created such a shortage of girls that families purchase brides from other villages for paltry sums. Women are also being forced into polyandry, or being shared by brothers and have suffered violence for refusing to do so. An unbalanced sex ratio not only spells economic and social disaster but also means an uncertain future and a poor quality of life for surviving girls and their families. The adverse child sex ratio reflects the real status of the girl child in the country, challenging the constitutional and policy commitments of equality and non-discrimination. It is a gross violence of the human rights of the girl child. The lack of medical ethics by practitioner for the selective determination and elimination of the girl child is a crime against society and must be prosecuted. The evil of drastic fall in sex ratio has the potentially of bringing violence, crime and end to remaining social values, ethics and a state of complete choes.

The Government Response

The practice of female foeticide is in direct violation of both the international convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW) of 1979 and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), 1989. The CEDAW is considered to be equivalent to an international bill of rights for women, defining what constitutes discrimination and providing an agenda for action. Non-registration of medical facilities, the use of pre-natal diagnostic techniques, communication of the sex determination, and non-maintenance of records are all actions that violate the letter and spirit of both CEDAW and UNCRC. The Govt. of India has taken steps to abolish female foeticide. The first legislation against female foeticide, enacted in 1978, banned the misuse of amniocentesis in government health care institutions. In 1994, a substantial legislation, the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Technique Act (PNDT) was adopted. This Act aimed to regulate diagnostic equipment by allowing for its use only in regulated institutions. In 2003, this law was amended and strengthened and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PCPNDT) of 2003. In addition to prohibiting determination and disclosure of the sex of the foetus and making it illegal to advertise pre-natal diagnostic capability, it recognizes the significant criminal role of doctors in contributing to this problem. The 2003 amendment to the PNDT Act is more explicit about the use, regulation and monitoring of prenatal diagnostic equipment of up to five years and a fine of up to Rs 1,00,000 for violators of the Act. Because the legislation of abortion in1971 provided an outlet for families to avoid having female babies, the Amendment of the medical termination of pregnancy Act was drafted in 2002 to prevent the continued use of abortion as a means to such a destructive and unethical end. While it was established as illegal in 1971 to abort a healthy foetus, particularly that of a girl child, the Amendment of 2002 establishes strict guidelines as to where and by whom medical terminations of pregnancy may be carried out and imposes severe punishments, including imprisonment, on those who violate the Act. As a part of measures taken to change the mindset of the society, some exemplary states administrations have taken lead in combating this problem and found positive response. With

the sex ratio declining steadily in Haryana due to female foeticide, the Ladli scheme for the girl child was drawn up by the State Govt. to provide incentives to the family. Under this scheme, a sum of Rs 5000/- per annum for 5 years is paid to couples giving birth to a second girl child (Rs 25000/-) for each of the two girl children. This money is invested in kisan vikas patras in the joint names of the second girl child and the mother. In case the mother is not alive, then this money is transferred to a joint account of the second girl child and father. Similarly, the Government of Himanchal Pradesh lunched a scheme named Beti Hai Anmul and for BPL families to incentivize the birth of girl child up to two children and encourage families to place scholarship upto 12th standard through conditional cash transfer. As per the states latest evaluation on sex ratio, the state has improved from 904 females for 1000 males in 2008 to 922 (Indian Express, November 28, 2010). Uttarakhand state has also given fixed deposit of amount 5000/- to a newborn girl child from BPL families under Nandadevi Kanya Scheme to stop female foeticide in state (Times of India, January 4, 2010).

Participation by Civil Society and Media

NGOs in association with governmental organizations have made efforts to eliminate the problem of female foeticide. For example, in 2005 Swami Agnivesh, a child rights advocate, led 2,000 km interfaith pilgrimage through five of the worst afflicted states. They were welcomed by the leaders of over 40 towns with rallies and programmes to raise awareness about female foeticide. A similar awareness initiative has been taken place around country. In Mumbai, an organization called Population First launched a five year campaign in 2005 with the slogan, celebrate her life because she is precious. The programme engages Mumbai communities to alter social prejudices against girls. The Campaign works with various stakeholders including NGOs, media, medical professionals, opinion makers, role models, youth icons and the communities. Smaller scale campaigns targeting the medical community have produced tangible results. Many religious leaders have been eager to join the fight against female foeticide. For example, sikh leaders have committed to excommunicate from the gurdawara any individuals who resort to sex selection, and religious leaders in Delhi have aligned on the issue. Media has participated in the campaign and highlighted the problem through investigative reports and articles providing clinching evidence to prosecute the guilty. Media involvement, however, has not been limited to investigative reporting and exposure journalism. In association with the Government and NGOs the media has launched widespread awareness campaigns in the form of video spots on national and private television stations. One national network even presents a weekly TV series, which confronts the plight of the girl child.

Areas of Concern
Effective implementation of PCPNDT needs to be assured through, ensuring registration, curbing the spread of mobile ultrasound, regulating sale of new machines; ensuring compliance of the Act like keeping records and submitting them to the authorities in time, preferably online like the birth records are being done now; monitoring the functioning of

these ultrasound clinics, complete audit of all pregnancy ultrasounds across the country (audit all F forms submitted). Another problem is that the appropriate authorities dont know their functions and responsibilities. Appropriate authorities do not have the necessary expertise and experience in legal matters. Deputing of medical professionals, or regulatory bodies under the PNDT Act, has not been an effective way to check the practice of sex determination, as doctors tend to be reluctant to book their fellow doctors. Lack of adequate medical facilities is leading to increasing reach of private health service providers, whose practices are difficult to monitor.

Suggestions:
Sensitization should be done in all departments of universities and training should be conducted to enable the campaign to reach the remotest of villages. Cultural practices such as celebrations and festivals should be utilized for campaigns and that communication must reach the masses. There is a need to form linkages socio-cultural-health-economic-political and legal in order to fight the declining sex ratio. On private institutions over which no effective control could be exercised, they should not be issued with licenses for carrying out prenatal diagnostic procedures and techniques. Only Govt. hospitals should be facilitated with these services. Monitoring of Acts implementation is required. Offensive advertisements must be reported and action must be taken Notice boards at clinics/hospitals/nursing homes must states that sex determination is punishable. Ultrasound machines and other sex determination techniques to be sold only to registered clinics coupled with affidavits/undertaking not to use them for sex determination. Men and women of our society need counseling to change their mindset. All men should know that they are responsible for determining the sex of the child and not only women. Mentality of people should be changed. Killing of the foetus is against human rights. Sex selective abortion have a bad effect on the health of the women should be conveyed to the people through media. Licenses of the doctors who perform sex selective abortions should be cancelled. Value your daughter. Each one of us can change our immediate environment by treating our daughters equal to our sons. If each of us looks at the girl child with a changed mindset, it will break the prevailing social apathy. Changing mindset includes the attitudes and thinking processes for both girls and boys. Girls need, and should expect, equal access to education, nutrition, health, employment and productive resources. Boys and men should perceive girls not as sub-servant beings but as empowered individuals who are equal partners. On the basis of literatures review and empirical evidences, the Government of India should start a central flagship programme for BPL families through conditional cash transfer in form of fixed deposit (Kishan Vikas Patra) in favour of new born girl child upto 2nd girl child to combat the female foeticide in the country. The guideline to encash the fixed

money should be on written document i.e. the only eligible candidate (the girl child) can be encashed the fixed money after completion of 18 years old.

Other suggestions:
The Health System and Implementation of PNDT Medical Audits are of primary importance. Medical audits need to be made mandatory and strictly enforced. The DMO, DC and SP (District level Officials) need to be proactive on the issue.

The importance of Law

The fact that the amended PNDT Act is a cognizable, non-bailable and compoundable offence, such that the offender may be arrested without warrant needs to be widely publicized. The law can act as a deterrent and as an instrument of change if the state could establish its credibility by punishing the guilty.

Integrating the issue with ongoing programmes

Sensitization of the youth on the issues was seen as non-negotiable. The existing forums that have youth participation, like the National Service Scheme, Nehru Yuva Kendra and other Youth centric agencies must have female foeticide on their agenda. The central/state government needs to facilitate such a focus Residents welfare Associations could be given a social policing role. That (a) keep tract of the growth of such clinics (b) discourages the use of sex determination and selection (c) aid in social audits. Anganwadi workers, SHGs and other womens groups at the community level, could be given training to monitor such practices and talk about the issues. Counseling facilities should be made available to pregnant women at all maternity clinics and hospitals by the well trained/ professional counsellors.

The Importance of Research and Documentation

Review of existing research, understanding of redressal mechanisms of and knowledge of public opinion. The research must incorporate an action programme. Research needs to be used as means for identification of areas of intervention and not solely for academic purposes. The religious dimensions to the problems need special attention. More qualitative research studies are required to understand cultural norms that lead to sex selection and female foeticide by which new strategies can be made for further policy formulation.

The importance of the media

Positive images of women should be encouraged. Print and electronic media can play an important role for the impact of female foeticide on society.

Conclusion:
Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Nation said that man and woman will attain equality only when the birth of a girl is celebrated with as much joy as in the case of a boy (social welfare, vol.55, no.7, Oct 2008, P2). So that all children have the right to be protected against all forms of harm and hurt, loss and deprivation. Protection measures must address social, psychological, physical, mental, emotional and material risk, danger and damage. Protection must also safeguard and defend children against discrimination of all kinds, including neglect. Girl children are especially at risk of violation of their protection rights simply because they are girls. In societies and communities where women are not respected, the girl child is not valued. In many parts of India, she is in danger of being unwelcome even before birth and is denied fair care and treatment right from birth and through the childhood years. Much of what should be considered maltreatment is socially regarded as the normal/accepted way to treat a girl child in the home or community. The girl child stands unprotected from the traumatic potential of much that is considered customary. From the stand point of human rights, this places her in need of both preventive and corrective protection. Keeping in view the dimensions and magnitude of this problem, we can see that it is a social problem that can be increased or decreased by society only. The society includes itself our families, social institutions, educational institutions, social organizations, NGOs, doctors, govt., administration, media, police, political & religious leaders. They are the guard and protector of society. So their contribution & efforts regarding female feiticide and infanticide is very important.

Eligible Jat boys from Haryana travel 3,000 km across the country to find themselves a bride. With increasingly fewer girls in Haryana, they are seeking brides from as far away as Kerala as the only way to change their single status. The girls have not vanished overnight. Decades of sex determination tests and female foeticide that has acquired genocide proportions are finally catching up with states in India. This is only the tip of the demographic and social problems confronting India in the coming years. Skewed sex ratios have moved beyond the states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. With news of increasing number of female foetuses being aborted from Orissa to Bangalore there is ample evidence to suggest that the next census will reveal a further fall in child sex ratios throughout the country.

The decline in child sex ratio in India is evident by comparing the census figures. In 1991, the figure was 947 girls to 1000 boys. Ten years later it had fallen to 927 girls for 1000 boys. Since 1991, 80% of districts in India have recorded a declining sex ratio with the state of Punjab being the worst. States like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana have recorded a more than 50 point decline in the child sex ratio in this period. Despite these horrific numbers, foetal sex determination and sex selective abortion by unethical medical professionals has today grown into a Rs. 1,000 crore industry (US$ 244 million). Social discrimination against women, already entrenched in Indian society, has been spurred on by technological developments that today allow mobile sex selection clinics to drive into almost any village or neighbourhood unchecked. The PCPNDT Act 1994 (Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques Act) was modified in 2003 to target the medical profession - the supply side of the practice of sex selection. However non implementation of the Act has been the biggest failing of the campaign against sex selection According to the latest data available till May 2006, as many as 22 out of 35 states in India had not reported a single case of violation of the act since it came into force. Delhi reported the largest number of violations 76 out of which 69 were cases of non registration of birth! Punjab had 67 cases and Gujarat 57 cases. But the battle rages on. In a recent landmark judgment the Mumbai High Court upheld an amendment to the PCPNDT Act banning sex selection treatment. The Court pronounced that pre natal sex determination would be as good as female foeticide. Pre-conception sex determination violated a womans right to live and was against the Constitution, it said. While the boys from Haryana may have found a temporary solution to the problem of missing brides, experts warn that the demographic crisis will lead to increasing sexual violence and abuse against women and female children, trafficking, increasing number of child marriages, increasing maternal deaths due to abortions and early marriages and increase in practices like polyandry. There have been only two convictions -- a fine of 300 rupees ($7) and another fine of 4,000 rupees ($98) -- from over 400 cases lodged under the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act. Bringing about changes in the demand for sex determination is a long process and has to be tackled through womens education and empowerment including the right to property and land rights. States in the North East and in Kerala where women have these rights show a comparatively better sex ratio.

The battle against sex selection has proved to be long drawn out. But some signs are visible that demonstrate that the fight can be won. Lakhanpal, a small village in Punjab has turned the tide of male births for the first time. In a state that has the lowest sex ratio in the country, the village boasts of 1,400 girls for every 1000 boys. Arvind Kumar, the collector of Hyderabad district has illustrated the power of the Act. Hyderabad had the lowest child sex ratio (0-6 years) in Andhra Pradesh. After taking over in 2004 he tracked down all 389 diagnostic clinics in the city and took action. 361 ultrasound scan centres were issued notices for non compliance with the PNDT Act. Licenses of 91 centres were cancelled. 83 machines were seized and 71 released after an undertaking and fine. Three suppliers were prosecuted for supplying machines to clinics with no registration licenses.

Indians and Chinese are some the best people the world has to offer. However, they have maintained vestiges of cruelty more sinister than the practice of Sati in the matter of female foeticide. It is quite possible that the practice of female dowry arose as a result of reduction in the number of men in India due to constant warring and the genetic robustness of the female fetus. Add this to the horrors of the world wars and the partition which impacted males from India. There are no male shortages now, but the practice continues to thrive. Historically, in the absence of genetic testing, infanticide was the only inhumane option for discarding the female child. This heinous practice continues today in the southern parts of India where families cannot afford an illegal ultrasound test. People in Punjab, Haryana and other Western states can afford illegal test to determine the sex of the baby and discard it. Thus the act of having a family gets reduced to an economic activity instead of a union of two souls. In China and India, males are considered heirs to property, thus exacerbating the problem and reducing humanity back to our ape ancestry. As India and China are corrupt countries, people of Indian and Chinese origins fly back to their native places from other countries to do illegal testing and selective abortions, often due to pressure from their families. As India becomes a stable country and males do not get consumed to hateful acts by fellow humans, the number of males have gone up. However, the practice of dowry remains stronger than ever. The families that commit female foeticide love their living daughters, however that passion is not extended to the female fetus. The progressive feminine movements tend to have mixed feeling

towards this inhuman cruelty as they are in favor or overall freedom of abortion. Their voices get blunted as they have to support both sides of the coin. As females drop in number in a society, society gets destabilized. Similar destabilization, violence and lack of progress is observed in polygamous societies, where females are treated as properties and the source of all violence is to "acquire and control" females.

Here are some ideas to prevent female infanticide and female foeticide.
- Free education for women up to college and even post graduate education in government run institutions (Similar plans are being implemented in many states in India) - Males should stand up to their own moms and dads when they start chirping about unwanted female children. - Create a feminine movement so that women feel a sisterhood towards each other and stand up for a woman in a neighboring house rather than turn a blind eye. - Refuse marriage of women into households or be very careful of families that have only male children or a very high percentage of males. Chances are high that they did you know what. Again, a few innocents will be in needless trouble, but sometimes poisonous and normal snakes look alike and it is better to get out a stick and protect your own daughters and sisters. - Do not provide any government incentives to families that have only males. Again the bad snake good snake logic applies. But that is OK. Consider it payback for all the dead female children. - Provide extra incentives for families that have more than one girl child. This will help correct the gender balance in a few years. - If you have a female child, educate her and provide her the same opportunities as a male child. This is the one thing that makes female killing folks look foolish and dumb. - Encourage marriage of males to educated women. Conversely, an educated female class will be more aware of their rights.

THE Supreme Courts directive to the government to implement the provisions of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act banning sex determination tests and sex selection to prevent female foeticide is timely. The court has been closely monitoring the implementation of its various orders passed since May, 2001, regarding the ban on the use of ultrasound scanners for conducting such tests. Subsequently, it had sought status reports from all states and Union Territories. It had ordered compulsory registration of all diagnostic centres across the country. There was impasse in Parliament over the Bill on sex determination tests. The Indian Radiologists Association wanted a clear distinction between clinics, which were engaged in diagnosis for gynaecological purposes, and those for non-gynaecological purposes such as kidney

and liver problems. Parliament finally passed the Bill. Wednesdays directive reflects the Supreme Courts desire to enforce the Act with a sense of urgency.

However, doubts are bound to be raised on the effectiveness of the legislation as the issue mainly relates to peoples attitudes and preferences. The desire for a son, for instance, is deep-rooted in both rural and urban areas. The problem of dowry and the choice of a son for social security have also contributed to the malady. However, these have led to serious gender discrimination and adverse demographic implications in many states. For instance, according to an estimate, parts of Haryana have witnessed a dip in sex ratio 618 girls for 1,000 boys. On the whole, while the national sex ratio is 933 per 1,000 men, in Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh and Delhi, it is below 900. This shows that the menace has reached alarming proportions even in urban areas.

The Act prohibits determination and disclosure of the sex of foetus. It also prohibits any advertisements relating to pre-natal determination of sex. Following the apex courts orders earlier, appropriate authorities with powers of civil court have been appointed. These were empowered to prosecute the clinics and the doctors if they used ultrasound technique for sex determination. A committee has also been constituted at the national level to monitor the enforcement of the Act through field visits. However welcome these provisions are, legislation alone will not help check female foeticide. What is of utmost importance is a change in the peoples attitude. The preference for a son must go if the larger problem of female foeticide is to be tackled.

48 Delhi NGOs launch drive against female foeticide As many as 48 NGOs in New Delhi have come together for the first time and launched a massive awareness campaign against female foeticide aiming to target communities and families As many as 48 NGOs in New Delhi have come together for the first time and launched a massive awareness campaign against female foeticide aiming to target communities and families. The campaign, also a first of sorts that starts off Tuesday and would cover dozens of Delhi neighbourhoods, is provoked by increasing concern among women's rights activists over declining incidence of female births. "The female-to-male ratio for children has declined substantially even though it has gone up for all ages," activist Gouri Choudhury, who represents Action India, one of the NGOs involved in the campaign, told reporters in New Delhi on Monday.

India has the dubious distinction of recording one of the world's lowest female-to-male ratios. It has 927 women per 1,000 males. The campaign by the Delhi NGO Network, the name of the 48 NGOs' common platform, would distribute posters and organise street plays and puppet shows to inform that female foeticide is a crime if committed after a sex determination test. Choudhury claimed that the female-male ratio in children of up to six years' old had fallen from 94.5 girls for 100 boys in 1991 to 92.7 girls in 2001. "Delhi is one state that is guilty of this dramatic decline in the sex ratio." This year, New Delhi accounted for an abysmal 86.5 girls per 100 boys. Choudhury also lamented that a seven-year-old act banning the use of pre-natal diagnostic technologies (PNDT) for sex determination had remained on paper. In May this year, the Supreme Court asked the Indian Government to crack down on centres illegally determining foetal sex for their patients. Lack of education and healthcare, apart from a generally low social estimation of women, were the main reasons why parents often risked the banned tests, Choudhury said. "Customs and the age-old tradition of preferring boys to girls have worsened female foeticide. It is also connected to the evil practice of dowry. Many parents, worried that if a girl is born to them they would need to spend much on fix her wedding, often abort the female foetuses." Choudhury also dismissed the popular belief that such unethical familial and social pressure was restricted only to the economically poor class. "Many educated women too prefer a male child and go for sex-selective abortions." According to another activists Sudha Gupta who has been working in Delhi's shantytowns for nearly two decades, said abortion was legally permitted only when the pregnant woman's life or health was at risk, or in cases of foetal impairment, rape and contraceptive failure. "But there are hundreds of illegal centres in Delhi where sex determination tests are conducted and abortions are conducted. Yet, no one takes any action against such illegal shops."