Girl,Interrupted
How to combat female foeticide
How to combat female foeticide
They might have won laurels for the nation in the Commonwealth Games,but girls in Haryana continue to be out of favour.The state sex ratio in the 0-6 years age group has hit a five-year low of 834 girls for 1,000 boys.Traditionally a patriarchal society,the gender skew in Haryana can be attributed to a strong preference for the male child.What is alarming is despite several government schemes addressing female foeticide,the imbalance seems to have got worse.Advances in medical science have compounded the problem,facilitating early sex-selective abortion.Although laws against sex determination exist,their implementation has been rendered ineffective due to an unholy nexus between clients,clinics and law enforcement officials.
Haryana may have one of the worst sex ratios in the country,but it is certainly not the only state grappling with the menace of female foeticide.Several socio-cultural factors such as landholding patterns,inheritance norms and dowry have tilted the scales against the girl child.A multi-pronged strategy is the need of the hour.Inspiration can be drawn from Tamil Nadu where policies such as free education for the girl child and other forms of government support have helped the state post one of the healthiest sex ratios in the country.The Ladli scheme of the Delhi government,which seeks to provide financial support to girls of poor families,is another positive move.Efforts should also be made to rope in community leaders.The role being played by gurudwaras in Punjab in campaigning against female foeticide is a good example.Economic empowerment of women combined with cultural and community initiatives are the answer to societys disastrous gender skew.