Female foeticide on rise in Punjab

[Guest guest]

Female foeticide on rise in Nangal

Punjab Newsline Network/ Saturday, 19 February 2011

By Kuldip Chand

NANGAL: Despite efforts put in by various media awareness programmes and

different initiatives taken by the government and non- government organizations

to stop female- foeticide, Nangal is reported a decreased birth rate of girl

child as compared to boy child.

According to reports, 912 girls were born per 1000 boys in 2009. The ratio has

decreased and in 2010 the rate was 852 girl child

births after birth of every 1000 boys.

Female foeticide has been one of the worst social evils on Indian society from a

very long time. Girls in our society were always

considered `paraya dhan'; a burden for the family. Birth of a girl child was

always mourned. A girl's safety becomes a huge

responsibility for parents from the day she is born. Increasing cases of rapes

also provoke families to abandon or kill their girl child

instantly after their birth.

The evil tradition of dowry also account for the killings of millions of girls

immediately after their birth. Though it was a common

practice during olden days, this is not new to the present society. Even today

girls who bring less dowry to their in- laws are

abandoned, murdered, killed and burnt to death.

Female child killing from long has resulted in the growth of " male- dominance "

in the society. The situation at present has so

worsened that the count of girls in the society has become so less that many men

are left unmarried. Women to get married to are

being bought from countries like Bangladesh.

Be it a village or a city, female foeticide has spread its roots all over.

Infact, according to reports prepared by the government of

India, this practice is much common and prevalent in the urban areas as compared

to the rural ones. The reports hold that in 2001,

the birth ratio of girls and boys was, 906 girls per 1000 boys in the urban

areas whereas, 934 girls: 1000 boys in the rural areas.

Punjab is known as the `Kudi Maar' (girl child murderer) in present times.

Nangal also from recent times has witnessed a decline in

the birth rate of female children. A comparison of the birth rate figures

registered by the Nagar Council, Nangal for the years 2009

and 2010 proves that the practice of female foeticide is on the rise in the

area.

According to the figures recorded in Nangal, in January 2009, 130 infants were

born out of which 71 were boys and 59 were girls

and in January 2010, 180 infants were born, out of which 91 were boys and 89

were girls. Similarly, in February 2009, out of total

126 infants born 67 were boys, 59 girls whereas in February 2010, out of 80

births, 42 were boys and 38 girls.

Other details being – 104 births (58 boys, 46 girls) and 165 births (84 boys, 81

girls) for March 2009 and 2010 respectively; 141

births ( 71 boys, 70 girls) and 106 births (57 boys, 49 girls) for April 2009

and 2010 respectively; 127 births (59 boys, 68 girls) and

101 births (56 boys, 45 girls) for May 2009 and 2010 respectively; 114 births

(67 boys, 47 girls) and 123 births (67 boys, 56 girls) for

June 2009 and 2010 respectively; 171 births (91 boys, 80 girls) and 160 births

(84 boys, 76 girls) in July 2009 and 2010

respectively; 158 births (92 boys, 66 girls) and 176 births (95 boys, 81 girls)

for August 2009 and 2010 respectively; 194 births (91

boys, 103 girls) and 205 births (111 boys, 94 girls) for September 2009 and 2010

respectively; 157 births (84 boys, 73 girls) and 152

births (85 boys, 67 girls) for October 2009 and 2010 respectively; 130 births

(66 boys, 64 girls) and 162 births (101 boys, 61 girls) for

November 2009 and 2010 respectively; 102 births (48 boys, 54 girls) and 180

births (111 boys, 69 girls) for December 2009 and

2010 respectively.

These figures when comparatively analyzed bring forth a worrisome state of the

child sex ratio in Nangal. Due to strict law

enforcement against knowing the child sex through ultrasound in Punjab, people

from Nangal go to the nearby hospitals of

Himachal Pardesh for this purpose. Having known that the foetus developing is

female, the foetus is instantly aborted.

`Save Girl Child' Mission is run by Organization Arpan and the Women Power

Connect. The main leaders of the two organizations,

Sunita Devi, Anuradha Kumari, Parminder Singh, Rekha Rani, Kalpana Rani and

Veena Devi blamed the non- seriousness of the government for the situation. They

also demanded that the government should keep a check on all the ultrasound

centres running in the area. They also said that government should also involve

social organizations in this process.

" Kuldip Chand " <arpansociety@...