Surat City campaigns against female foeticide

Ahead of the International Women's day on March 8, Surat has come up in arms against the social evil of female infanticide. The Giant's group of Surat, Chowpatty, in association with the Giant's group of Surat Saheli, the ladies' wing of Chamber of Commerce and the BJP Mahila Morcha, Surat organised a 'Beti Bachao' suggestion competition on Saturday at the Presidency school, Adajan. The competition invited practical suggestions to help fight female infanticide from leading professionals, businessmen and students in the city. The best of these suggestions were to be presented to the government of Gujarat. This campaign is to go on till International Women's day. "It's the rising number of female infanticides and the resultant increase in gender imbalance in the society that prompted us to organise this event to promote public awareness of the issue, as well as to help government take steps towards curbing this social evil," says Geeta Shroff, the President of Giant's group of Surat, Chowpatty... ... Around 110 leading professionals, businessmen and students from all over the city attended the event and signed a memorandum opposing fem a l e infanticide in the city, which is to be pre-sented to the Gu-jarat government. The panel of judges included Aruna Thakkar, the project director, Parivartan de-addiction centre, Deepika Shukla, Principal, Presidency school, Hansa Desai, advocate and panel member of the Consumer forum and Arjana Jha, also a lawyer.

According to the judges, the main causes of female infanticide were identified as being economic and dowry related including the lack of empowerment of women. The solution to curbing the social problem of female infanticide that was greatly focused on was the education and awareness of masses. The five-day 'Beti Bachao' programme would consist of a live video conference to discuss and find solutions to the problem, a programme organised by various colleges in Surat to create awareness among the youth as regards to female infanticide, a poetic address to the problem of female infanticide by Esha Dadawala and taking a pledge to save the girl child.