What is female foeticide and why is it done

Surgical operations can also be used for the termination of pregnancies in women particulary after eight weeks of conception. Such surgical termination of pregnancy (or abortion) is allowed by law only in certain circumstances where the doctors decide that continuance of pregnancy can affect the health of mother or of unborn child gravely. In order to have a male child (son), some misguided people in our country get the sex of their unborn child determined by ultrasound technique (though it is illegal to do so), and if it is a female foetus, they get it removed by surgery. This killing of the unborn girl child is called female foeticide Today, some of the key reasons that exist for the preference of a male child are as follows:

The tradition of paying dowry at the time of a daughters marriage is alive and kicking. This amount can be so huge that many parents will go to extreme lengths to avoid having a daughter in the first place. A son is seen as someone who can earn and care for his parents in their later years, while a daughter will get married and go away. A son can carry on the family name, while a daughter becomes part of her husbands family. Girls are seen as consumers, whereas boys are seen as producers. Many families consider it a status symbol to have a son, and a point of shame to have a daughter. Often, the pressure to bear a male child on the woman is so great that she herself might choose to get sex determination done and abort the baby if its a girl. Illiteracy, poverty and the tag of burden that is assigned to a girl child, makes the desire for a male child even stronger

LITERATURE REVIEW and KEY FINDINGS

Early results of India's 2011 census reveal that fewer girls have been born over the last decade compared with boys, suggesting that the illegal practice of female foeticide - the killing of unborn girls - continues unabated. While the overall female to male ratio has improved since the last census in 2001, the number of girls under six-years-old has declined for the fifth decade running -- there are now only 914 girls to every 1,000 boys, compared with 927 a decade ago.

As per the Indian Census 2011 report, the sex ratio of India (females per 1000 males) is as follows: Average India sex ratio 933 Rural sex ratio 946 Urban sex ratio 900 State with highest female sex ratio Kerala 1058 State with lowest female sex ratio Haryana 830

According to latest census figures, the northwestern region of Haryana has the worst child sex ratio with 830 girls to every 1,000 boys -- with states like Punjab (846), Gujarat (886), Rajasthan (883) and even the capital New Delhi (866) following closely behind. Female foeticide cuts across all sections of Indian society with no regard to caste, religion, or geography. It is practiced by the wealthy, the middle classes and the poor, in urban areas and now spreading into rural regions. The review part of the above literature

Experts warn that increasing foeticide in India could spark a demographic crisis where fewer women in society will result in a rise in sexual violence, child-abuse and wife-sharing. They say that with fewer women in the population and more men of the same age group, the demand for women will surge in terms of marriage and sex and this pressure will increase violence against women. Practices such as polyandry -- where several men, often brothers, share the same wife-- are already emerging in areas where there are fewer women and brides are now being sold and trafficked by their parents to areas outside their own.

.GAP ANALYSIS

STAKEHOLDERS Doctors Nurses Chemists Pregnent females who have to undergo the process Family of the female Men (as they have fewer females due to decrease in sex ratio and many of whom remain unmarried) Women (who become victim of polyandry, sexual violence, abortions )
In general, society as a whole

PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

Guard against misuse of gender tests

ensure that diagnostic tests are not misused for pre-natal gender determination. aws and legal provisions that specially prohibit medical practitioners from disclosing the gender of the foetus. It is not only illegal, but it is socially immoral and detrimental to society. It is very important that all medical facilities, doctors and radiologists adhere to this so as to prevent female foeticide

Educate and empower less fortunate women.

today we live in a country where rampant female foeticide and female infanticide take place. The condition of women in our country needs attention, Ms. Kumar said in her address on January 5, 2011 during Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey (SNDT) Women's University annual convocation ceremony. She appealed to a representative group of the 21,803 women students who were awarded diplomas and degrees here, to educate and empower less fortunate women.

Cancellation/permanent termination of the doctors license who partakes in fulfilling a clients demand to do away with her girl child. Heavy penalty imposed on companies like GE, that specialize in marketing medical equipments used for illegal sex determination and abortion in unlicensed clinics and hospitals. High fines and judicial action against parents who knowingly try to kill their unborn baby.

Widespread campaigns and seminars for young adults and potential parents to enlighten them about the ill effects of female feticide. Ignorance is one of the major causes for the increase in the selective sex abortion cases. Spreading awareness can go a long way in saving our future sisters, mothers, girlfriends and wives.