Girl child 29.9.16

1. GIRL CHILD
By – Dr Shyam Kartikey Dwivedi
Moderator- Dr Meenakshi Girish

2. Girl is not only a matter of gender
discrimination; it is bad economics and bad
social policy. Experience has shown, over and
over again, that investments in girls’ education
translate directly and quickly into better
nutrition for the whole family, better health
care, declining fertility, poverty reduction and
better overall economic performance."
--From the Millennium Report

3. INTRODUCTION
• India is a signatory to the Alma Ata
Declaration and is committed to goal health
for all by 2000 AD. which sadly has remain
under-realized in later and spirit even a
decade after 2000 AD.
• The latest development in the health scenario
for the girl child from the fetal stage till she
attains motherhood is discussed.

4. ISSUE AND PROBLEM:
• Discrimination against the girl child begins
even before her birth. The so called “sex
determination shop” are having roaring
business, offering amniocentesis and
ultrasound facilities for finding the unborn
baby sex and indirectly investigating abortion
of the female fetus.

5. The practice attracts clients from all socio
economic group, even if the money has to be
begged or borrowed. Now, there is a legal ban
on abortion of female fetus following sex
determination test. However, the practice is
going on ‘though illegal’ under a grab such as
MTP.

6. NUTRITIONAL STATUS
• The girl has poorer nutritional status than the
boys. She is more likely to have a low birth
weight and given artificial feed and the
amount of food ,quality of food are poorer
than that of boys.
• Often it is a practice to postpone onset of
puberty in young girls by restricting her food
intake so that parents can buy sufficient time
to arrange dowry and a suitable groom for her.

7. MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY:
• The medical needs of the girl are also ignored
,while the biological truth is ,the more males
dies in infancy than the females.
• 1981-933:1000
• 2012-940:1000
• 2013-941:1000
• 2014-942:1000
• 2015-943:1000
• 2016-944:1000

10. EDUCATIONAL STATUS:
• Educating the girl is hailed as the best
investment in a nation, that it can make for its
bright future. Yet education of girl in India
presents a sordid picture.
• High rate of school dropout
• Many parents do not wish to allow girls to get
exposed to modern ideas.

11. GIRL CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT:
• Girl child is denied very survival from
adequate food intake, education, health care
etc.
• She is brought up to be submissive and docile
,playing second fiddle to the brother. Her
attitude are moulded in such a manner that
she herself get gravely biased against her own
gender

12. GIRL CHILD LABORER:
• In India alone there are 8 million working
female children ,out of these 2 million
are engaged as domestic servant. Girl
child laborer are more exploited than
their male counterparts. They are paid
less and asked to do more work.

13. GIRL STREET CHILD:
• Girl street child is much worse than male
counter part. She is often harassed,
sexually abused and often pushed into
prostitution.

14. Solution and practical approach:
• No discrimination on the basis of sex.
• A total ban on female feticide in all states and
union territories needs to be implemented
strictly and in true letter and spirit.
• Awareness of importance of various aspects of
girl child ,e.g.education,legal status,etc. need
to be emphasied with the help of local
language ,poster,cartoon at prominent of
localites ,televison radio,skits ,seminar etc.

15. • Education of girl on priority basis. Free education
for all girls upto secondary school level
• Improvement of nutritional statuses:
• Midday school meal programme
• Special supplementation programme for severely
malnourished children
• Vitamin d supplementation
• Compulsory immunization for all
• Home visit by health worker ,stress on female
heath

16. • Child labour act and law pertaining to
exploitation of children and especially girls
should be revised simplified and implemented
• Motivation of adoption of girl children
• Handicap and socially deprived girls should be
given job opportunity on preferential basis

17. GIRL CHILD IN 11TH-FIVE YEAR PLAN
2007-2012
Planning commission’s special subgroup on
girl child:
Separate subgroup of girl child made by working
group on development children. This has been
constituted by the planning commission, under the
ministry of women and child with the basic objective
to carry out a review of existing approach and
strategy along with the program for protection,
welfare and development of children.

18. HEALTH IS A STATE SUBJECT
• Constitution of india offers all citizens,including childern
certain basic fundamental rights like RIGHT TO LIFE AND
LIBERTY,RIGHT TO EQUALITY,RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH
AND EXPRESSION,RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF RELIGION,RIGHT TO
CONSERVE CULTURE .

19. • To realize the letter and spirit of constitution
and the state formulized the number of
legislations.
1.Child marriage restrained at 1929
2.Immoral traffic prevention at 1956
3.Child labor(prohibition and regulation act)
4.Juvenile justice(care and protection of
children)

20. WORLD FIT FOR CHILDREN
• India is signatory to a number of international
instrument such as UN convention of right of
the child, with its to personal protocol and
conventional on elimination of all form of
discrimination against women(CEDAW), there
by affirming its commitment to the growth
and development of women and children

21. SEX RATIO UNFAVORABLE FOR GIRL
CHILD

22. Current status of sex ratio in India
census 2011-11

23. GOALS OF 10TH FIVE-YEAR PLAN2002-
2007
• All the children in school by 2003 and all
children complete five years schooling by
2007.
• Reduction in gender gaps in literacy and wage
rates bt at least 50 percent by 2007
• Reduction of infant mortality rate(IMR)to 45
per 1000 live births by 2007 and 28 by 2012

24. OTHER OBJECTIVES INCLUDED;-
1.Arresting the decline in the child sex ratio
2.Increasing the representation of women in
premier services and in parliament
3.Universalization of the integrated child
development services scheme(ICDS)

25. PROBLEM OF THE GIRL CHILD FROM
FETAL LIFE ONWARD AND SOLUTION
AVAILABLE:
1)FEMALE FETICIDE
2)CHILD TRAFFICKING for commercial sexual
exploitation,organ transplant, begging,
entertainment, labor, domestic work, drug peddling,
participation in armed conflict
3) CHILDREN WITH HIV AND AIDS
4)CHILD MARRIAGE
5)INSECURITY VIOLENCE AND NEGLECT
6)CHILD LABOR

26. PROBLEM WITH GIRL CHILD FROM
FOETUS TO ADOLESCENCE:

27. • DWINDLING SEX RATIO: important indicator
• Sex ratio is dwindling even in states like
haryana,punjab uttar pradesh,madhya
pradesh,gujarat,rajasthan.
• Female feticide has been reported from parts of
Rajasthan, Bihar,UP, West Bengal,Tamil Nadu.
• Child mortality: About 12 million girls born in
India every year ,in that a third of girls die in the
first year of their ,25% do not survive(3million dp
not survive till their 15th birthday).

28. SCHOOL ENROLLEMENT
• 34% girls dropout before they complete class
5th.The reason for their dropout being
workload, both within and outside the
household.

29. CHILD MARRIAGE AND ADOLESCENCE:

30. ADOLESCENT GIRL:

31. ELEVENTH PLAN -2007-2012(THE PATH
AHEAD)
OBJECTIVE: Strategy and action laid
out in the national plan of action for
children 2005 will be given and
attention with focus on her survival
,protection and well being.

32. Special importance will be accorded to
ensuring all girl children the right to life
and liberty to uploading the dignity and
security in family and society with
utmost attention to their right to equality
and social justice.

33. 4 “E”s for Girl child development
1)EQUALITY
2)EDUCATION
3)ENABLING ENVIRONMENT
4)EMPOWERMENT

34. DIARY OF A BABY
15 June:
I was attached with
my mom.
17 June:
I am a tissue now.

35. DIARY OF A BABY
30 June:
Mom said to Dad, “You
are going to be a
Father”.
Mom and Dad were very
Happy.

36. DIARY OF A BABY
15 July:
My food is what my mom eats.
15 Sep:
I can feel my heart beat.
14 Oct:
I have little hands, legs and
stomach.

37. DIARY OF A BABY
13 Nov:
Today I was in ultrascan.
WOW!!!! I’M A GIRL

38. DIARY OF A BABY
14 Nov:
I was DEAD!
My Mom and Dad killed me…. WHY? :-(
Is it just because I was a girl???
or
Is it my only crime, that I was a girl?

42. People love to have a “MOTHER”
People love to have a “WIFE”
People love to have a “SISTER”
People love to have a “GIRL FRIEND” too,
Then why not a daughter?

43. LIFE CYCLE APPROACH:
• The life cycle approach of the girl child with
had ultimate objective of marriage and
motherhood should be now revised to a
capability approach,where the girl child’s
contribution both economic and social terms
are given due recognition as equal in value
and potential to those of boys.

44. Following concerns need to be addressed:
1)All programming provisions of National Plan
of Action for Children 2005,covering survival
protection development and participation
apply to the girl child. Where the fact of being
a girl impedes a child from enjoying
entitlement covered by NPA.

45. 2)All measures to serve and benefit girl children
must be designed to address the needs of
each age among children and each stage of
childhood. Interventions, and their delivery
mechanisms must effectively reach the girl
child on the basis of her age and specific
setting
3)the status and condition of the girl child
should be used to gauge the effectiveness of
development measures in reaching out to all
children.

46. 4)Key issues to be tracked are:
• Survival of the girl child and her Right to be
born (preventing female feticide)
• Health and nutrition
• Education facilities for girl child
• Abolition of child marriage
• Preventing child abuse, violence, exploitation
• Welfare and development of adolescent girls.

47. RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUBGROUPS FOR WELFARE OF
THE GIRL CHILD FOR IMPLEMENTATION DURING 2007-2012
1)SURVIVAL OF THE GIRL CHILD AND HER RIGHT
TO BE BORN:
2)EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PC AND
PNDT ACT:
• Fall in female sex ratio of 0-6 years age group-976/1000 to
927/1000 in the 2001census
• The act need to be thoroughly reviewed to evaluate its existing
administrative,enforcement and monitoring.Some suggestions in
this regard include:
• -National inspection and monitoring committee
• -Stringent penalities and action:

48. • Female feticide should be taken as crime
• Magistrates should be held accountable
• Enhancement of punishment of all violation of
PNDT Act
• State medical council should take action
against doctors who commit such crime
• A system of incentives can be formulated for
tip off on clinics which are indulging in sex
determination.

49. How did all this begin ?
• Amniocentesis test by AIIMS for genetic diagnosis a break thru in
India 1980’s
• Tests were soon commercially available
• Test abuse started for sex determination and for diagnosis of
female fetus
• A lot of hue and cry was made by NGO’S and altered sex ratio was
detected in the census 1990
• Govt committee, law drafted as pndt act, law modified as pcpndt
act…a lot of time taken for gazette notifications in states
• Many clerical and administrative and forms to be filled
• The punishment to DOCTOR was same for mistake in form filling
and actual sex determination
• A lot of misunderstanding and misinterpretation of law by law
enforcing agencies
• A lot of harrassment and no or very few people actually caught for
the crime( most cases for not filling forms correctly)
• Many NGO’s like CEHAT and others in court as PIL’S
• GOVT AND FOGSI AND IRIA NOW TAKING TO SIMPLIFY THE
REPORTING AND TO DEAL WITH THE ACTUAL CRIME

50. PC PNDT ACT
• A law was passed in 1994 prohibiting tests
that reveal the gender of a fetus prenatally
and abortions on the basis of fetal sex are
also illegal but the laws are not well
enforced.

51. EFFECTS OF SON PREFERENCE IN INDIA
• MOST FAMILIES KEEP HAVING CHILDREN TILL THEY
GET A SON
• BENEFITS OF SONS IN INDIAN SOCIETY
1.ECONOMIC UTILITY
2.SOCIO CULTURAL UTILITY
3.RELIGIOUS UTILITY
(DAUGHTERS ARE CONSIDERED ECONOMIC
LIABILITY,DOWRY AND SYSTEM OF HEAVY COSTS
WEDDINGS)

52. 3)Monitoring and Surveillance
4)Nationwide Awareness and
Sensitisation Campaign against Female
feticide

53. 5)Scheme to address Falling Female Sex ratio
• -The Cradle Baby Scheme
• -Conditional Transfer Scheme cash and non cash)
• -Health and Nutrition for Girl child
• -Enabling Education for the Girl child
• -Gender sensitisation of educational system
• -Abolition of Child marriage(THE CHILD MARRIAGE RESTRAINT
Act1929)
• -Girl child abuse and exploitation and violence
• -trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation
• -children of sex worker
• Prevention of cross border trafficking

54. • Welfare and development of adolscent girl(11-18 yrs)
• Vocational training
• Nutritional program for adolscent girl(NPAG and its
merger with Kishori shakti yojna)
• Health status of adolescent girl.

55. Trafficking for Commercial Sexual
Exploitation:
• The eleventh plan will need to adopt a Multi
pronged Approach to combat Trafficking with
distinct component of:
1)Preventive measures
2)Rescue and rehabilitation measures
3)Awareness generation and sensitisation
4)Training and capacity building.

56. GIRL CHILD FRIENDLY VILLAGES/CLUSTER:
• To encourage villages to become more
sensitive to the girl child need and
facilitate her welfare, development and
empowerment.

57. HEALTH NUTRITION INDICATORS:
1. PREGNANCY REGISTRATION
2. IMMUNISATION FOR MOTHERS
3. NUTRITION SUPPLEMENTS FOIR THE MOTHER
4. INSTITUTIONAL DELIVERY
5. REGULAR HEALTH CHECKUP
6. ACCESSIBILITY OF HEALTH CENTER
7. AVAILABILITY OF MEDICINE
8. REGULAR MONITORING OF HEALTH OF CHILD
9. IMMUNISATION
10.SUPPLEMENTARY NUTRITION

58. EDUCATION INDICATORS:
1. Preschool education and supplementary nutrition facility
2. Enrollment of girl child in school
3. Primary education facility
4. Availability and assessibility of elementary and secondary
education facility
5. Number of female teacher and trained teachers
6. Provision of mid day meal
7. School books and stationary
8. Pucca school building
9. Toilet and sanitation facilites
10. Extracurricular activity in school
11. Special education for disabled
12. Sports facilites

59. PROTECTION INDICATOR:
1. Birth registration of the girl child
2. Protection from child abuse and marriage
3. Protection for sexual exploitation and trafficking
4. Prevention of child labor
5. Care for street children
-Award and Public communication:

60. SPECIAL TOPIC ON GIRL CHILD WELFARE
PROGRAMMES FOR IMPLEMENTATION DURING 2007-
2012
• Conditional cash transfer Scheme(along with
non cash transfer)

61. PROPOSED SCHEME FOR EMPOWERMENT OF
ADOLESCENT GIRL:
1) Empower adolescent girl and built their self esteem.
2) Promote awareness of health, hygeine nutrition,family
welfare ,home management and child care.
3) Health and nutritional status
4) Help them understand nutrition and health safegaurd
5) Provide them with learning and discussion
opportunities and access to information along with
some employment related skill
6) Promote community and environment supportive to
adolescent girl

62. TARGET GROUPS:
• 11 to 18 years of age
1. Improvement of life skills,health nutrition education in the
regular curiculum
2. Regular health check up
3. Iron and folic acid and deworming intervention
4. Registration of all adolescent girl in age group 11-14 in
aanganwadi for monitoring growth and development and
suuplementary nutrition
5. All malnourished girl to getready to eat ration at aanganwadi.

63. • PROGRAM APPROCH
• COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND
AWARENESS GENERATION
• RESEARCH AND CREATION OF DATA BASE
• ROLE OF PANCHAYAT

64. • CHILD MARRIAGE-marriage before 18 years of age
(according to UNICEF )
• CHILD LABOR
• CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

65. STORY IN NUTSHELL
• GENDER BIAS,GENDER GAP,DISCRIMINIATION
AGAINST FEMALE
• In India and rest of the third world not only the
girl child but the women as such continues to be
discriminated.
• The sex biased is far more pronounced among
the down troden and the rural settings .The
discriminated girl child ,if she manages to survive
,grows up to show discrimination to her female
children. This viscious cycle goes on and on and is
hard to break

66. • Currently, we are in the thick of campaign to
generate awareness among people for safe
gaurding the rights of the girl child and for
upliftment of her status. This will eventually
have a positive bearing on the status of the
woman as well.

67. Every year,
18-24 SEPTEMBER
is observed as
GIRL CHILD WEEK

68. National Girl Child Day – 24th January

69. References:
• Recent advances in paediatrics – Suraj Gupte
• Park Textbook of PSM
• UNICEF
www.unicef.org