FEMALE FOETICIDE

IN INDIA.- Dr. Vandana V.

What is Foeticide?

The term FOETICIDE means killing the FOETUS in the mother’s womb.

This practice is mostly confined to female gender and female foeticide is the major topic of concern in today’s society, especially in developing countries like India.

Incidence

• The country which stands first Afghanistan.• Followed subsequently by Congo, Pakistan.• India ranked 4th most dangerous place for

women primarily due to female foeticide.• The country with least female foeticides is

Namibia in Africa.

Social causes of female foeticide

• Money: girls are considered a financial obligation• Poverty• Lack of proper education• Future speculations : marriage, dowry• Mindset: age old traditional practices• Obsession for son• Gender discrimination• Female is considered as greater responsibility than a

male mainly due to security issues

Statistical data

• The natural male:female ratio was estimated, in a 2002 study(BMJ, NCBI/National Institute of Health), to be between 103 to 107 males to 100 females.

2011 Census Sex Ratio map for the states and union territories of India, boys per 100 girls in 0-1 years age group.Final Population-2011 Census of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India(2013).

According to the decennial Indian census:

YEAR MALE FEMALE

1961 102.4 100

1981 104.1 100

2001 107.1 100

2011 108.8 100

REF - India at glance: population census 2011

• Female foeticide in India has been reported an increase since 1990 assumed to be due to Ultrasound technology

• Usage of ultrasound as a diagnostic tool was started in 1979; it spread to major cities in 1980; Spread to urban cities in India by 1990 and to rural areas by 2000.

• The child sex ratio has dropped from 945 females per 1000 males in 1991,to 927 females per 1000 males in 2001

• Estimated that 50 million girls and women are missing from Indian population because of female feoticide

REF: Child Sex Ratio in India; C. Chandramouli, Registrar, General & Census Commissioner, India (2011)

Cause for the increase in child sex ratio:

• Advancement in medical diagnostic techniques has helped parents to detect and determine the sex of the foetus before birth, and take the heinous decision of sex-selective abortion.

Consequences

• Decrease in female population• Adverse effect on women’s health mentally,

emotionally and physically• Women are abused and sexually exploited• Leads in women trafficking• Women are kidnapped, bought and sold for

marriage• Suicide rates in women will increase

Legislation

IN 2004, THE GOVT. OF INDIA PASSED THE PRE-CONCEPTIONAL AND PRE-NATAL DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES (REGULATION AND PREVENTION OF MISUSE) “PCPNDT” ACT.

• In 2001 the ratio was 107.1:100;• Govt. of India passed the PCPNDT Act to

decrease the female foeticide rate but• Surprisingly ratio was increased by 2011

108.8:100 • The Public Health Foundation of India, in its 2010

report, claimed a lack of awareness about the PCPNDT Act in parts of India, inactive role of the appropriate authorities, role of some clinics and medical practitioners in disregarding the law.

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India has targeted education and media advertisements to reach clinics and medical professionals to increase awareness.

• The govt. is also supporting implementation of programs and initiatives that seek to reduce gender discrimination, including media campaign to address the underlying social causes of sex selection.

• The Indian Medical Association has undertaken efforts to prevent prenatal sex selection by giving its members the Beti Bachao (save the daughter) badges during its meetings and conferences.

• In its communication campaigns, it is clearing up public misconceptions by emphasising that sex determination is illegal, but abortion is legal for certain medical conditions in India.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PCPNDT ACT IN INDIA – Perspectives and challenges. Public health foundation of India, supported by united nations FPA (2010)

MTP and PCPNDT Initiatives report-Govt. of India (2011)

• The recent policy initiatives in India adopted by many states attempt to address that the assumed economic disadvantage of girls by offering support to girls and their parents. These policies offer conditional cash transfer and scholarships only available for girls, for each stage of their life right from birth, completion of childhood immunizaton, schooling from grade 1 to grade 12, and marriage at the age of 21.

A recent study by Nandi and Deolalikar (2013) states that the 1994 PNDT Act has had an impact by preventing 1,06,000 female foeticides over one decade.

Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Scheme

• The Govt. of India has launched the BETI BACHAO, BETI PADHAO Scheme recently on 22nd January, 2015, mainly aiming at generating awareness and improving efficiency of delivery of welfare services for women. The govt. proposed Rs. 150 crores to be spent by the Ministry of Home Affairs on this scheme to increase the safety of women in large cities.

International Day of the Girl Child

• It is an international observance day declared by the U.N.

• Otherwise called “Day Of The Girl”• OCTOBER 11, 2011 (1st Day Of The Girl)• This day supports more opportunity for girls and

increases awareness of gender-inequality faced by girls world-wide.

Day of the Girl - Themes• 2012 –Ending Child Marriage• 2013 –Innovating for Girls’ Education• 2014 –Empowering adolescent girls: Ending

the cycle of violence.

Responsibility of the society

• People should step up with the help of education and should be able to overcome the age-old traditional taboos which depict women as a burden.

• People should stand against illegal practices towards women like Dowry, Rape.

• Women should stop considering themselves to be the inferior group of the society and should learn to stand up for themselves, thus uplifting their standards.

Our Responsibility• The government and society should be

provided with a piece of professional support which would complete the entire effort.

• Hereby, let us take a pledge that We, being Doctors, would never try to disregard the laws and would provide our sincere most contribution in protecting and empowering the girl child.