Pre-Birth Elemination of Female & new paradigm of development in Haryana.

Pre-Birth Elemination of Female & new paradigm of development in Haryana.

The issue of missing girls and women in Haryana has gone to an alarming stage and needs a serious in depth overview so that some concrete interventions can be thought of. Consumerist oriented economic development, commercialization of medical profession and sexiest biases in our society, combined together have created a sad scenario of ‘missing girls’.Instead of women empowerment, we are doing feminisation of labour. Global comparisons of sex ratios shows that sex ratios in Europe, North America, Caribbean, Central Asia, the poorest regions of Sab Saharan Africa are favaourable to woman as these countries neither kill/neglect girls nor do they use NRT’s for productions of sons. On the other hand the lowest sex ratio is found in some parts of India and Haryana is one of them. Bottom ten districts in child sex ratio (0_6) are Fatehgarh (754), Patiala (770) ,Kurukshetra (770), Gurdaspur(775), Bhatinda(779), Mansa(779), Amritsar(783), Sonepat(783),Ambala(784). There are 16 districts in India having less than 800 sex ratio and 10 of them are from Punjab ana Haryana.There are 1852 villages in Haryana where child sex ratio (0-6)is less than 750.This practice had been earlier also, but now it has taken a new turn with wide spread use of new reproductive technologies in Haryana during the period of Green revolution. These NRT’s are based on principle of selection of the desirable and rejection of the unwanted. In Haryana desirable is “baby boy” and the unwanted is the “baby girl” and the result is obvious. The census results of 2001 have revealed that with sex ratio of 927 girls for 1000 boys, India had deficit of 60 lakh girls in age group of 0-6 years, when it entered the new millennium. In Haryana we are deficit of 322436girls in the age group of 0-6 years as per 2001census. These NRT’s in the context of patriarchal control over women’s fertility and commercial interests are posing major threat to women’s dignity and bodily integrity. Two child norm policy is also posing a negetive impact .The supporters of Pre Birth Elemination of Females put forward various arguments like ‘ Pay Rs 500 now and save Rs 5,00,000 later’ and “Women’s choices” as if women’s choices are made in vaccum.Also it need to be clarified that the right to abortion must remain as an essential right of women, a right to determine their life, their body and fertility. In this context the crucial and important questions is can we allow the Haryanvi girls to become an endangered species?

Dr. Sabu George and myself conducted a study on female foeticide in rural Haryana in a rural population of about 13,000 in Rohtak district and we interviewed more than 1000 women to know the pregnancy outcomes during 1995 to 2000.We have found that the ‘Sons only’ and “Sons Must” syndrome has been perpetuated by resorting to female foeticide, using the modern technological tools, thus reinforcing patriarchal values as cultural determinants.In our another survey done in 2004 in 12 villages there were 50 cases of purchased brides from other states. In last Panchayat elections it became an election issue that if they will win they will arrange for more purchased brides. When we discussed the issue with the group of women in study villages, they had a misconception that if their number decreases, their worth will increase. Actually reduction in the number of women would enhance atrocities domestic and societal on women. As per As per the data published by the National Crimes Record Bureau, New Delhi, out of the total 1,15,723 cases related to women and registered under IPC in 1996, rape accounted for14,846 (12.8 per cent), dowry deaths 5513 (4.8 per cent) and cases of torture 35,246 (30.5 per cent). In 1994, 98, 948 cases were registered under crime against women compared to 83,954 cases in 1993 and 79,037 in 1992. The figure was 74,093 in 1991 and 68,317 in 1990. The National Commission for Women is a statutory body constituted under the National Commission for Women Act 1990 to protect and promote the interests and to safeguard the rights of women. From January to December 2000, the Commission received a total of 5,268 complaints, which included dowry deaths 527, murder 235, rape 277, molestation 11, dowryharassment 963, sexual harassment 131, bigamy 110, desertion of wives 267 and other types of harassment 2,747.

They also told that they have to have extra care from the birth of the girl child till they are married and later life as well becouse of increasing insecurity in the society. They revealed that when a girl is born, there is atmosphere of ‘Mattam’ and when boy is born this is celebrated by beating a ‘thali’ and distribution of sweets.Tradition of 6th day celebration on birth of a boy ‘Chhath’ is there. A mother who give birth to a boy is given 10 kg of ghee and the mother giving birth to a girl is given 5 kg in the villages. When asked whether they celebrate the ‘Namkaran Sanskar’ of girls, all of them answered in negative. Similarly many traditional discriminatory points came in to discussion. (list is very long) confirming again the reflex conditioning of the women psyche and society as a whole through these cultural practices for son preference at the cost of girl. Study done byMs Ruhani in 2005 in Haryana had revealing cases. In an interview with one of the Paediatric Surgeon,it was revealed that various reasons for deformities are like fluoride excess, pollution, lack of food, pesticide and insecticide residual effects. But there are many cases of deformities where they want to have male kids after many girl issues.For this they take medicine from quacks for giving birth to a son. Actually they shouldn’t take anything in the first trimester because by 3 months whole baby is formed. Neural tube defects are very common in such cases. They effect from top of spinal cord to the end. In such cases they should terminate. These were the views of one of the Paediatric surgeon of PGIMS Rohtak .

Ompati 36 years old VPO Baas Distt, Hissar had a son of 18 years who died 2 years back. She didn’t bother about not having another child after him when it didn’t happen naturally since he was a son.. She got pregnant. Had drug from a doctor in Bahadurgarh who gave her medicines to drink over three months She had to get an abortion induced of a deformed baby in the 7th month. Deformities were Placenta posterior , Occipital encephalocele and foetal ascitis.
Now the question is that how to respond to the challenging situation. This is a real challenge. Prenatal Diagnostic Technique Act was enacted in 1994 as a result of pressure created by forum against sex determination and sex preselection. But it was not implemented. After another decade of campaigning by women’s rights organizations and public interest litigation by CEHAT, MASUM and Dr. Sabu George, the prenatal diagnostic techniques (regulation and prevention of misuse) amendment act, 2002 received the assent of President of India on 17-1-2003. The act provides “for the prohibition of sex selection, before or after conception, and for regulation of prenatal diagnostic techniques for the purposes of detecting genetic abnormalities or metabolic disorders or sex linked disorders and for the prevention of their misuse for sex determination leading to female foeticide and for matters connected there with or incidental there to”. PNDT Act amendment rules 2003 have activated the implementation machinery to curb nefarious practices contributing for missing girls.This is true but much more important ,we have a great task in front of us i.e to change the mind set of doctors, the people at large and the victim women in particular, to create a socio-cultural milieu that is conductive for girl child’s survival and monitor the activities of commercial minded techno-docs thriving on sexiest prejudices. Dr B.S.Dahiya did a serious exersise and made cases against defaulting doctors.

The policy level changes are required and also these need to be actually implemented by the state through both governmental structures and voluntary organizations.
-Registering & monitoring of all pregnancies from 6th weeks onward & not from 12th weeks.
-Increase marriage age of girls from 18 to 21
-Provide compulsory, free, quality education to all girl children up to Secondary school level
-Extend 50% representation to women in all decision making bodies of the state to introduce a feministic political culture conducive to women friendly political action.
-Eradicate child Labour and guarantee employment for adult women.
-Bring policy and legal measures to ensure that women have rights and control over productive resources, for the economic empowerment of women.
-Provide life-sustaining resources such as health, nutrition, water, education to all the children without gender bias.
-Entrust power to panchayats to maintain a register of demographic profile with the details on vital statistics.
-Frame the child policy and girl child policy to protect the interest of the girl children.
-Extend gender sensitization training to policy makers, planners, administrators and implementers at all levels.
-Promote gender perspective in to all policies and sectoral- programmes

Besides all this , different level efforts are being made to sensitise the people on the issue of gender and caste discrimination. Navjagran- a new renaisance movement though slow is going on. “Ek Nai Suruat” natak needs a mention here .This new renaisance movement i.e ‘Navjagaran’ has to be supported by all sections of the society of Haryana so that a civic society in Haryana can be created where these types of gender and caste discrimations will not be there and missing girls will also have a space to be born and survive as an human being. Last but not the least is Your Contribution to the Navjagran Campaign as---
* An enlightened student
* A enlightened citizen
* A enlightened teacher
* A enlightened mother
* A enlightened father
* A enlightened family member/ relative
* A enlightened medical professional
* A media person
* Do not publish advertisements offering sex determination facilities. Instead, make a positive contribution by publishing articles in your magazine or newspaper to generate awareness about the heinous practice of PBEF, the law prohibiting it and difficulties in the implementation of the law. Support the cause of the girl child through your writing , photographs, films, documentataries or any other medium




R.S.Dahiya
Professor of Surgery
PGIMS, Rohtak
Haryana Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Rohtak