save the girl child

3.  Traditions and rituals outline the existence of
the Indian girl child.
 Amidst uproars of gender equality and law
enforcement, female infants are still found
dumped in trash, by the dozens, while unborn
fetuses continue to be sniffed in the womb.
 Wrought with discrimination and prejudiced by
rituals, our society has dealt the girl child a
rough hand, starting even before birth till the
dark of life.

4.  There is something indeed very eerie about
traditions and rituals, especially when it comes to
the evils that ail the human mind. The Indian
society has long suffered the malice of an
obsession with the male child. Such has been the
fanaticism, that even the most literate and
intelligent minds have also defied the basic logics of
science in their battle for the ‘most coveted male
child’. From such incomprehensible and despicable
mindsets, emanate the horrific practices of female
feticide, female infanticide and the vastly prevalent
girl child abuse, which ironically defies all confines
of social, economic and even intellectual status.

5. That a girl is seen as a burden to the family,
with loads of pending expenditure on her
wedding; that she is seen as someone else’s
possession, just to be reared; that remains
as the biggest and most spiteful element
that ails the Indian mindset!”
 Selective conception and consequent abortion to avoid
the birth of a girl child
 Discrimination, while providing education, especially in
the lower middle class, in a clear violation of the Right to
Education
 Constant fear of male domination and sexual abuse
influences the higher educational, professional and
career choices
 Unabashed discrimination is done on the basis of looks,
complexion and other physical attributes

6.  Males essentially remain the key decision makers,
which often goes against the women’s interests
THE DISABLED PROTECTORS
Grave violence is being committed against young women
in their matrimonial homes and the low conviction rate
shows the legal system is not geared up to investigate
and prosecute these cases.
Here is what happens to an average victim under the
present circumstances in India:
 Extremely low number of women report of cases of
female infanticide/feticide or even sexual abuse
 Slow administrative action
 Delayed judicial action accompanies by social hostility
towards the victim and witnesses
 Ongoing isolation and marginalization of the victim

7.  Titled “Female Infanticide Worldwide: The case
for action by the UN Human Rights Council”, the
report makes a continent-wise analysis of
infanticide patterns. It sets the tone by stating that
117 million girls demographically go “missing” due
to sex-selective abortions, as claimed by the United
Nations Population Fund.

10.  Atrocities against women in various forms have been an
integral part of the civilization since ages. However, India
has been home to some of the most barbaric acts against
this gentler breed of humanity, starting from dowry
deaths and sati, going up to female infanticide and
feticide.
 Technology facilitates a series of pre-natal diagnostic
tools to identify and cure any potential birth defects and
associated conditions. In a gross misuse of the scientific
tools, female fetuses are selectively aborted after such
pre-natal sex determination in spite of legal regulations
banning the same

11.  Most alarming is that, Child Sex Ratio(CSR) is far
more skewed in the “Bermuda Triangle” which
includes the land-rich and affluent states of Punjab,
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The national capital
Delhi is also known to be top on the list.
 As per latest government data available pertaining to
births, the CSR in Punjab stood at a mere 775
female per 1000 males. Shockingly, a recent survey
of 10 villages around Chandigarh revealed the
number of boys outnumbered girls in every village.
 Reports indicate that more than 12,000 sex
determination tests were carried out across the
scores of private clinics in 1997 in Delhi alone. In
the same year, 105 female infants had been
reportedly killed every month in Dharampur district of
Tamilnadu.

12. 1. POVERTY :
India is known to be home to world’s largest
number of poor people. Out of 1 billion
inhabitants, an estimated 350-400 million are
below poverty line, 75% of them being in rural
areas.
GIRL CHILD : POVERTY AND HEALTHCARE
 Experts suggests direct linkages between
poverty and adolescent girl’s health and also
with the vast majority of poor girls caught in the
vicious circle of early motherhood. This in turn
deprives her of the basic rights to health,
education, development and independence.

13.  As per research figures, the undernourishment and
neglect of young girls is reflected in their poor body
size/growth and narrow pelvis as they grow into
adolescence, rendering child bearing a huge risk.
GIRL CHILD : IMPACT ON EDUCATION
 In the backdrop of such adverse financial conditions
in India, education of the girl child naturally takes a
backseat. More than 40% of the Indian population is
known to be illiterate, with women, tribal and
scheduled castes being the most affected.
 Nearly 2 in every 3 women in India are illiterate. In
other words, only 82 girls for every 100 boys get
enrolled in school, while 35 million girls in India do
not attend school at all.

14. 2. SOCIAL STIGMA
 The current trends have refuted the belief that the
practice of eliminating the female child will get
discourage with the economic independence of women
on the rise.
 A survey in Delhi revealed that even the highly
educated women have resorted to as many as
whopping 8 abortions to ensure that they only give birth
to a son.
 One of the main reasons is the Indian Government
attempts to control its population of over 1 billion
through controlling women’s fertility. This 2 child family
concept encourages elimination of female fetuses in
order to obtain a “complete family” with atleast one son.

15.  An insight to most crucial reasons :
 Menace of dowry
 Fear of loss of face in local community
 Desire to keep the wealth within the family,
through sons
 Fear of dependence of the girl on the family, for
life
 Attempt to control family size
 With to appease Gods in times of crisis

16. 1) RIGHT TO EDUCATION
“Educate a man, you educate one person, educate a
woman, you educate a whole family”
 Reports estimate that more than 50% of girls in India
fail to enroll in school and those who do are likely to
drop out by the age of 12.
 Lack of education denies the girl child the knowledge
and skills needed to advance their status.
 Figures also report that there is discrimination even in
the field of higher education. At least a 40% of girls are
not allowed to pursue higher studies, due to the
conservative familial ideologies.

17.  INITIATIVES FOR GIRL EDUCATION
 In 1994, the Government of India passed a
universal female education bill that offers
parents for access and punishment for keeping
a girl out of school.
 The government also announced free and
reduced cost education for girls. The program
has been designed with the aim to offer free
education at high school level to all girls of
single child families.
 The offer also includes provisions for
fellowships of US $45 per month for those
taking post-graduate courses.

18. 2) CHILD MARRIAGE
 By the Indian law, it is illegal to allow or facilitate
marriage of a boy under 21 and a girl under 18.
 Despite the existence of legislation banning child
marriage since 1929, the practice continues to be a
social reality in present India. Amongst all states
Rajasthan tops the list with average age of a girl
marriage 16.6 years followed by Bihar( 17.2 yrs) and
Madhya Pradesh(17 yrs).
 Willingness of the girl’s family to pass on the burden of a
daughter’s expenses and hope of early adaptation to the
in-laws house adds to the gruesome list of causes.
 In India, one woman is reported to have died every 7
minutes from a pregnancy related cause, with the
situation getting further aggravated by early marriage.

19.  A recent survey revealed that 56% of
adolescent girls in India in age group 15-19
years are anemic. Child agencies present
following as dire set of consequences
 Child’s education is sacrificed
 Early pregnancies weaken the mother
 Babies born to girls under 17 are 60% more
likely to die in their first year of life.

20. Other Legislation Year
Passed
Goals
Dowry Prohibition Act 1961 Prohibits families from taking a dowry,
punishable with imprisonment
Hindu Marriage Act 1955 Rules around marriage and divorce for
Hindus
Hindu Adoption and
Maintenance Act
1956 Deals with the legal process of adopting
children and the legal obligation to provide
"maintenance" for other family members
Immoral Traffic
Prevention Act
1986 Stops sex trafficking and exploitation
Equal Remuneration Act 1976 Prevents monetary discrimination between
men and women in the workforce
Female Infanticide Act 1870 Prevents female infanticide
Ban on ultrasound
testing
1996 Bans prenatal sex determination

21. This Act was enacted and brought into operation from
January 1, 1996.
Key Definition: An Act provided for the regulation of the
use of pre-natal diagnostic techniques for the purpose
of detecting genetic or metabolic disorders or
chromosomal anomalies or certain congenital
malformation or sex linked disorders and for the
prevention of the misuse of such techniques for the
purpose of prenatal sex determination leading to female
feticide and for matters connected there with or
incidental there to.

22. The PNDT Act was amended in 2003 to empower above
further in light of the fertility technologies, which
facilitate the selection of the sex of the fetus
before conception.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS :
 Prohibition of sex selection , before and after
conception
 Regulation of prenatal diagnostic techniques ( e.g.
amniocentesis and ultrasonography) for detection of
genetic abnormalities, by restricting their use to
registered institutions.

23.  Prevention of misuse of such techniques for
sex selection before or after conception.
 Prohibition of advertisement of any
techniques for sex selection as well as sex
determination
 Prohibition on sale of ultrasound machines to
persons not registered under this Act.
 Punishments for violations of Act
Violations carry a 5 year jail term or a fine of
2,300 US dollars

24. An Act to provide for the termination of certain
pregnancies by registered medical practitioners
and for matters concerned there with or
incidental there to.

25. It states that on no account, sex determination test
shall be undertaken with the intent to terminate
the life of a female fetus developing in her
mother’s womb, unless there are absolute
indications for termination of pregnancy as
specified in MTP Act, 1971. An act of
termination of pregnancy of normal female fetus
, shall be regarded as professional misconduct
on the part of physician leading to penal
erasure besides rendering him liable to criminal
proceedings.

26. Program Year
Passed
Central or
State
Government
Benefits
Balika Samriddhi
Yojana
1997 Central Cash transfer to mother based
on child meeting educational
conditions and partaking in
income generating activities
Dhan Laxmi
Scheme
2008 Central Cash transfers to family after
meeting conditions
(immunization, education,
insurance)
Kanya Jagriti Jyoti
Scheme
1996 Punjab Cash transfers to 2 girl children
in a family after meeting
conditions (immunization,
education, insurance)

27. Program Year
Passed
Central or
State
Government
Benefits
Beti Bachao, Beti
Padhao Yojana
2015 Central Cash transfers based on
educational attainment
National Plan of
Action
1992 Central For the survival, protection, and
development of girl children.
Goals include ending female
feticide, reducing gender disparity,
and giving girls better access to
resources
Devirupak 2002 Haryana Cash transfer to couple accepting
terminal method of family
planning (vasectomy, tubectomy)
after birth of 1st or 2nd child
Delhi Ladli
Scheme
2008 Delhi Cash transfer based on
educational attainment for first 2
daughters
Apni Beti Apna
Dhan
1994 Haryana Cash transfer if daughter reaches
the age of 18 without being
married

28. Program Year
Passed
Central or
State
Government
Benefits
Girl Child
Protection Scheme
2005 Andhra
Pradesh
Cash transfer based on age and
educational attainment. Family also
has to partake in family planning
Beti Hai Anmol
Scheme
2010 Himachal
Pradesh
Interest earned on back account in
daughter's name and cash
scholarships for each year of school
Bhagya Laxmi
Scheme
2007 Karnataka Cash transfer based on age and
educational attainment. Cash
provided to families for natural death,
health insurance, and scholarships
Mukhyamantri
Kanya Suraksha
Yojna and
Mukhyamantri
Kanya Vivah Yojna
2008 Bihar Cash transfers to poor families with
two daughters

29. Program Year
Passed
Central or
state
Government
Benefits
Indra Gandhi
Balika Suraksha
Yojana
2007 Himachal
Pradesh
Cash transfers based on age
attainment
Ladli Laxami Yojna 2006 Madhya
Pradesh,
Jharkhand
Cash transfers based on
educational attainment
Rakshak Yojana 2005 Punjab Cash monthly transfers for families
with 2 girls
Mukhyamantri
Kanyadan Yojna
2017 Madhya
Pradesh
Cash transfer for marriage
assistance if the family waits until
the legal age to marry off their
daughter
Sukanya Samriddhi
Account
2015 Central Interest earned on bank account
opened for daughter after she turns
21
Kanyashree
Prakalpa
2013 West Bengal Conditional Cash transfer in form of
scholarship to low income families

30.  Apart from the Law of the People’s Republic of China on
Maternal and Infant Health Care of 1994, Beijing also
has the Population and Family Planning Law of the
People’s Republic of China of 2002 that prohibits sex
identification of foetus and sex-selective abortions.
 Nepal, in 2002, amended the Country Code, Muluki Ain,
to allow abortion on medical grounds and prohibit sex-
selective abortions.
 The Population Ordinance (2006) and Prime
Minister Decree (2006) of Vietnam prohibit all
practices of antenatal foetal sex diagnosis and sex
selection.

31.  REPRODUCTIVE TOURISM :
In nations where gender selection is banned, people travel
to Thailand, the US, Mexico and other nations where it’s
legal to undergo PGD/ PGS. In Thailand, for example,
the Chinese, the East Europeans and Indians form the
majority of people (70-80 per cent) preferring PGD.
According to the Asian Law Institute, over 80 per cent of
PGD practices were undertaken for the purpose of sex
selection.
Apart from Thailand, the US has also become the hub for
such “reproductive tourism”. According to the report,
hundreds of Australians started flocking to fertility clinics
in the US when sex selection was banned. Singaporeans
have also been going overseas, especially the US and
Thailand, to choose their babies.

32.  A serious flaw that makes all of these programs ineffective
is that they target only lower-income households, while
ignoring the population of higher-income households also
partaking in female foeticide.
 Sex determination tests and sex selective abortions are
prevalent more amongst affluent families. For e.g., upper-
class families in Haryana have high rates of foeticide and
infanticide and the programs do not target these families. A
study in Haryana found that the sex ratio at birth for upper
caste women was 127 males for 100 females, compared
with 102 with lower caste women.
 Additionally, a study conducted by an associate professor
of political science at Delhi University, found that many of
the beneficiaries of the Delhi Ladli Scheme wanted to use
the money received for marriage rather than educational
expenses.

33.  Another problem with these government
conditional cash transfers is that many of them only
target the first two daughters in a family and have
no incentive for families to have more than two
daughters.
 Additionally, they only incentivize a change in
behaviour until an age, educational, number of
daughters threshold and do not prompt people to
act beyond these guidelines.

34. 1. ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES
 India as a country, needs a heroic administrative
impetus to break the shackles and come out of
the morbid shadows of such practices.
 No amounts of individual efforts or non-
governmental movements can have an impact
unless the administrative takes part.
2. POLITICAL WILL
Through active generation of political will and result
oriented action plans, the government can
effectively help and support the situation.

35. Following are some main solutions possible:
 Provision of free and compulsory education in
practice, not only in theory
 Effective implementation of the Dowry
Prohibition Act and other relevant law
 Grant of equal property right to girls
 A Department for women and a commission for
women must be established at central and state
levels
 Women’s organizations, media houses and
magazines should offer forums for networking
 Extensive support should be available to NGOs
and such organization.

36. 3. NGOs
Here are some NGOs focusing on the issues
related to girl child in India:
i. CRY(Child Rights and You), Mumbai
ii. NANHI KALI, Mumbai
iii. DREAM A DREAM, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore
iv. POPULATION FIRST, Mumbai
v. Child in Need Institute, Kolkata
vi. INDIANNGOS.COM
vii. INDIAN ALLIANCE FOR CHILD
RIGHTS(IACR)
viii. SMILE FOUNDATION, INDIA, New Delhi,
Mumbai

37. 4. MINDSET REVOLUTION
 The scenario of discarded female fetuses in India is
the handiwork of the brain of a human being.
 Hence, unless the citizens of India themselves
wake up to the need, the evil of female feticide and
other such malpractices targeting the Indian girl
child shall not be done away with.
 As an individual, the most important and effective
thing we can do is to influence the attitudes of
those around us. Make your friends, relatives and
immediate family aware of the girls capabilities.
 We should try to make the young girls around us
aware of their self-worth, especially the under-
privileged ones.

38.  Parents should also have an open mindset
toward enrolling their children in co-education
schools to ensure healthy exposure.
 Sex education should be imparted at an
appropriate age by the parents or guardians
themselves.
 Women need to make an effort to reach out to
each other groups, share experiences and give
support.

39. Home to a third of the world’s child brides,
India is set to change the law that is seen to
legitimize child marriage and treat every
marriage in the future involving minors to
be invalid.
The Indian girl child has had more than her share of
tormenting experiences, both before as well as after birth,
going right up to adulthood and much beyond. The huge
media uproar from time to time, coupled with legal
provisions to protect them, has given the Indian women the
courage to speak up and fight against the rampant and
unabashed evils carried out against them.

40. Here is what the future might behold for the Indian
unborn, young and elderly girls:
 An increased number of legal complaints, spurred
on by the encouraging administrative action
 A drastic decrease in the fetal sexing, with the
potential to reduce the increasing number of female
infanticide cases, offering the scope of correction of
the skewed CSR ratio
 An increased awareness and fear of law, which is
likely to act as a deterrent to the heinous practice of
female feticide
 A metamorphosis in social mindset, where girls are
less likely to be seen as an economic and social
liability
 A increase in the number of girls pursuing higher
education, especially from the socially and
economically under-privileged sections