Date: 04/12/2013

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT ROHTAK
Socio Economic Transformation of India

Skewed Sex ratio- Improving the socio-economic fabric of India

Submitted By:
Section A
Group No. 3

INDEX Abstract 3 Introduction 3 Global Trend 3 Indian Trend 4 State-wise analysis 4 Sex-ratio indicators 6 Child sex ratio 6 Sex ratio at birth 7 Son preference 7 Mortality differentials 8 Social Implications 8 Brought women 9 Polyandry/abduction 9 Social fabric 10 Crime rates 10 Economic Implications 10 Labor force 11 Unorganized sector 12 Consumer Power 13 Economic status 13 Policy Constraints 14 Recommendations 15 Immediate strategy 16 Short term strategy 19 Long term strategy 20 Role of NGO’s 22 What needs to be done 24 The future 25 References 25

Abstract
The rise of boy child population in India for the past twenty years parallels the experience of other Asian Countries such as China and South Korea. There were 945 girls per 1000 boys in 1991, 927 in 2001 and only 914 in 2011. India’s increasing number of rich class seems to have increased the practice of sex selection in the new technology promoted by private health sector. The new technology has aggravated the social problem of bias against girl child and continues to have caused the drastic reduction in the proportion of female children. This article focuses on appeal to government and civil society for immediate action to eliminate sex selection. The article accounts a lesson sharing experience for effective public policy responses to crisis similarly faced in the country.

Introduction
When a boy is born in India, friends and relatives exclaim congratulations. A son means insurance. He will inherit his father's property and get a job to help support the family. When a girl is born, the reaction is very different. Some women weep when they find out their baby is a girl because, to them, a daughter is just another expense. Her place is in the home, not in the world of men. In some parts of India, it's traditional to greet a family with a newborn girl by saying, "The servant of your household has been born."
Both women and men are important for reproduction. The cultural construct of Indian society which reinforces gender bias against men and women, with varying degrees and variable contexts against the opposite sex, has led to the continuation of India’s strong preference for male children. Female infanticide, a sex-selective abortion, is adopted and strongly reflects the low status of Indian women. Census 2011 shows decline of girl population (as a percentage to total population) under the age of seven, with activists estimating that eight million female fetuses may have been aborted in the past decade. The 2005 census shows infant mortality figures for females and males are 61 and 56, respectively, out of 1000 live births,[5] with females more likely to be aborted than males due to biased attitudes.
Global Trend

Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize laureate has set off a debate in developing economics when he estimated that there are 100 million ‘missing women’ in the world, referring to the magnitude of female survival disadvantage due to unequal treatment in the intra-household allocation of survival-related commodities. In a series of papers in the late 1980s, Amartya Sen claimed that about 100 million women in the world are missing, referring to the number of females who had died as a result of unequal access to resources in parts of the developing world. He produced such estimate by comparing the sex ratios in countries with large female deficits to the sex ratio prevailing in sub-Saharan Africa. India now has the largest share of missing females in South Asia and next to China in the global comparison.

Declining Sex Ratio in India
India has been grappling with an unusual problem with the sex ratios - number of females per 1000 males – have been dwindling to extremely low levels. While the total population of India has been growing at an alarming rate over the past 50 years, the number of women relative to the number of men has been steadily falling. According to statistics available from census report ‘ 1951 ,there were 946 females per 1000 males in India, which decreased to 933 in 2001.Even in today’s modern society with presence of extensive health care and awareness programs regarding save girls, there is just only 0.75% increase in gender ratio according to census report 2011.

Trend of Sex ratio in India: Year | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 | OSR | 946 | 941 | 930 | 934 | 927 | 933 | 940 |
Source: Census India (http://censusindia.gov.in/)
It is interesting to note that this phenomenon is not uniformly distributed. The regional variations in this process are evident. While North Indian states like Punjab and Haryana have shown some of the worst trends in sex ratios, other States in the south of India like Kerala have actually shown an improvement in the sex ratio. District-wise, disaggregated data for juvenile sex-ratios shows that Baster(Chhattisgarh), Pulwama (Jammu & Kashmir), are districts with some of the highest sex-ratios reported during 2001. Districts in the states of Punjab (Sonipat, Rupnagar, and Sangrur) and Haryana (Ambala, Kurukshetra) are some of the worst affected areas where sex-ratios are below the 800 mark.
State-wise Analysis:

* Uttar Pradesh was a case of failure, with high (masculine) sex ratios, and low health and education indicators but in census 2011 it showed improvement from 898 in 2001 to 910 in 2011. * Kerala and Pondicherry maintain increase in sex ratios that is reflected in its equal labour force participation, and much higher health and education measures than Uttar Pradesh. The overall improvement is reported in 29 states and union territories in 2011 from 24 in 2001. * Delhi (821), Haryana (861), Punjab (874), Uttar Pradesh (898), along with Andaman and Nicobar Islands (846), Dadra and Nagar Haveli (811), and Sikkim (875), account for a large part of the alarmingly low sex ratio in India in 2001. It was in the states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi that private foetal sex determination clinics were first established and the practice of selective abortion became popular from the late 1970s. It was alarming to note that the number of States/UTs in the Northern belt (relatively rich States in terms of economic growth) with child sex ratio below 900 has almost doubled over the last one decade, from three (Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh) in 1991 to six (Delhi and Himachal Pradesh in addition to the earlier three) in 2001. This point to the hypothesis that economic growth and human development seldom move together, when it comes to improving gender relations. * States having historically low sex ratio such as Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh however have shown minuscule increase in the sex ratio in Census 2011. Majority of the States identified as gender critical for special attention and intervention as part of the Census 2011 have not improved much. * Major States, Bihar, Jammu Kashmir and Gujarat have experienced a fall in the sex ratio. The decline ranged from 2 points in Gujarat to 9 points in Jammu & Kashmir. Other smaller Union Territories showing steep decline are Dadar & Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. * The Jammu and Kashmir census department maintained that Ladakh’s sex ratio of 583 girls against 1,000 boys, one of the worst in the country despite the equal treatment given to girls in opportunities. The reason is not really clear but officials are not inclined to accept it as an error of assessment ( India News Post, June 11 2011) * Indian sex ratio in general has gone up from 927 in 1991 census to 933 in 2001 census of India. The state of Kerala with 1058 has best sex ratio in India has the highest female literacy rate according to 2001 Census of India. Haryana has the lowest sex ratio of 861 females per 1000 males and has the lowest female literacy rate in India.
The states of South India have the best Sex Ratio of females per 1000 males. In the Union Territories of India, Daman and Diu has the lowest female sex ratio while Pondicherry has the highest female sex ratio in India. The report of a general brighter picture is shadowed by the continue declining sex ratio of girls. Gender bias due to lack of education and poverty in India is responsible for this decline in female ratio.

State wise sex ratio: State/Union Territory | Sex Ratio in 2001 | Sex Ratio in 2011 | Kerala | 1058 | 1084 | Pondicherry | 1001 | 1037 | Haryana | 861 | 879 | Punjab | 874 | 895 |
Source: Census India (http://censusindia.gov.in/)
There is also some evidence suggesting that the sex ratios are worse in urban areas than in the rural parts of the country. It is a well-known fact that urban areas are generally associated with better medical, educational facilities, and higher per capita incomes.

OSR –Differentiated on Urban & Rural residence Year | Total | Rural | Urban | 2001 | 933 | 946 | 900 | 2011 | 940 | 947 | 926 |
Source: Census India(http://censusindia.gov.in/)
Indicators for skewed sex ratios: * Child Sex Ratio * Sex Ratio at birth * Son preference * Mortality differentials

Child Sex Ratio
Child sex ratio is one of the sensitive indicator that display status of girls in India. It has been declining faster than overall sex ratio of India, as above given data, overall sex ratio is increased 0.75% in 2011, while child sex ratio is plummeted to 914 in 2011 from 927 in 2001, and it was 983 in 1951.
If we analyze the situation state wise, it was found that North-Western states followed by Northern states have high declination rate in comparison to Southern part of India. Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Union territory of Chandigarh has sharp decline in sex ratio of child.

Sex Ratio of Child Population in age group 0-6 (1981-2011):

States/Union Territory | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 | Haryana | 902 | 879 | 819 | 830 | Himachal Pradesh | 971 | 951 | 896 | 906 | Punjab | 908 | 875 | 798 | 846 | Kerala | 970 | 958 | 960 | 960 | Karnataka | 975 | 960 | 946 | 943 | Tamil Nadu | 967 | 948 | 942 | 946 |
Source: Census India (http://censusindia.gov.in/)
If we differentiate child sex ratio on Rural-Urban residence will show differential as well as magnitude of change.

Child Sex Ratio: Differentiated on Rural and Urban residence Year | Total | Rural | Urban | 1981 | 104 | 103.8 | 107.4 | 1991 | 105.8 | 105.5 | 107 | 2001 | 107.9 | 107.1 | 110.4 |
Source: Census India (http://censusindia.gov.in/)
Sex Ratio at Birth
In India, sex birth ratio is 950 girl birth child per 1000 boy child, but it is started declining due to sex selective pre-birth intervention. According to National Health Survey(NHFS)-I in 1992-93 it was 951 which was declined to 935 in NHFS-II report and this figure has been report to 920 in NHFS III report. Again states like Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Maharashtra are accountable for the low sex birth ratio. Thus, the declining trends of sex ratio at is clearly reveals the enormity of sex selection abortions in India.
Trends in sex ratio at birth (females per 1000 males) by birth order: States | NFHS I | NFHS II | NFHS III | Himachal | 891 | 888 | 901 | Haryana | 881 | 849 | 756 | Punjab | 876 | 860 | 728 | Gujarat | 981 | 934 | 900 | Kerala | 1010 | 929 | 902 |
Source: Census India (http://censusindia.gov.in/)
Son Preference Son preference in India is a well-documented phenomenon for both economic and cultural reasons and it is a strong implication for skewed sex ratios. It’s a belief that when a girl get married she won’t be any support for their parents, but boys even after marriage take care of their parents, it’s always been a topic of debate but never concluded with a positive for women. If we talk about cultural aspect, in most of the community it is essential for a son to perform rituals at his parent’s cremation and other like rituals. Trends in sex ratios at birth Birth Order | NFHS I | NFHS II | NFHS III | 1 | 901 | 873 | 843 | 2 | 819 | 765 | 762 | 3 | 832 | 819 | 837 | 4 | 921 | 1019 | 1026 | Source: NHFS India –I, II, III
From the above data, we can examine that number of female births per male births have been increasing with increasing number of birth order. Also if we differentiate on the basis of urban and rural residence, there are lower female children (1100) in urban area in compare to rural area (1113).
Mortality differentials
If we look at biological perspective, female children have higher longevity but almost at every phase of their life they have to face discrimination and neglected for essentials like nutrition, education, gender equality and hence causes mortality. According to the researches female child mortality is forty percent more than the male child mortality.
Death Rate for children aged 0-4 year States | Male | Female | Total | Andhra Pradesh | 21.3 | 22.3 | 20.2 | Kerala | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.1 | Karnataka | 23.6 | 24.4 | 23.9 | Haryana | 23 | 22.3 | 23.8 | Punjab | 17 | 16.6 | 16.4 |
Source: NHFS India I, II, III
From the above data we can infer that female child mortality is more than the male child mortality also it is more in northern states but minimal or nonexistent in southern states

Social and Economic implications

Sex ratio is an important demographic indicator reflecting the socioeconomic structure of any society.The concerns regarding declining female population in India is to rise above the social issue to become a political, economic and reformist issue and the entire society must be sensitised. We are living through a ‘civilization crisis’.Women and girls in India have more than matched with men and boys in national reconstruction and have contributed significantly to economic growth and social upliftment of the country. Despite all that, Indian women and girls have not been able to get an equal space under the sky.

Social implications
Bridal Diaspora: Brought Woman

Marriage remains a universal and socially compulsory norm in India, forcing the parents to marry their sons or daughters to whomever, wherever and at whatever cost. Bengali brides are found in almost all parts of the country especially in northern region stretching from Kashmir down to Haryana, Punjab, towards the west in Gujarat and Rajasthan and across to Uttar Pradesh in the north. This phenomena is known as ‘Bridal Diaspora’. These brides are migrated from far-flung rural destinations away from their homelands to culturally strange new destinations. This cross-cultural marriage which is actually the case of brought or ‘bought’ women is termed as ‘paro practice’. In the states, where sex selection is most rampant, there are entire villages where men cannot find women to marry. So they ‘buy’ women from other states. And in some instances, where the family can afford to buy just one woman, she is expected to ‘service’ all the men in the family. In villages in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, women are being sold as ‘wives’ for as little as Rs. 3,000. Impoverished women from Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand are finding themselves in households where they do not speak the same language as their ‘husbands’ who have paid for them.
Mental agony of brought women
(i) Woman coming from other states are unable to relate with people around them. At times they are even boycotted from making their appearance in social functions like marriage or sangeet ceremony in village due to the language problem, communication barriers and cultural differences. Due to rigid attitude of rural people, they face problem in cultural mixing.

(ii) They are not allowed to visit their native place due to paucity of funds at times or due to the fear factor that they might not come back to their respective husbands. Their right to expression is also violated as they fail to express themselves at their in-laws’ place due to communication problem. (iii) Many a times these women are abused by the males of the village when they are socially not accepted in the community.
(iv)In few cases it is the children who also suffers in terms of their cognitive development because they speak in their mother tongue and finds themselves unable to mix up with other local children of their age.

Polyandry, abduction of women
‘Polyandry is a form of union in which a woman has more than one husband at a time or in which brothers share a wife in common.’ The disparity in sex ratio may be one of reasons for the prevalence of forced polyandry. ‘The origin of polyandry must be referred to that want of balance. It is suggested that where polyandry existed, there is a surplus of male children but deficiency of females arises in all parts of the country as a biological phenomenon. In all the cases of forced polyandry, the dignity and self-respect of the woman is at stake. It has been a hidden practice that one brother marries and the wife is shared by other siblings.
Unmarried over Aged Males
‘If girls keep disappearing at this rate then boys will be in difficulty. Whom will the boys marry? If a boy is unable to marry till the age of 22-24 years then he becomes over aged to get marry in rural areas. The patriarchal structure and values are ingrained for centuries and the practice of getting rid of daughters is known to exist in these areas such that certain social groups started feeling the deficit of brides for their sons
Disintegration of the social fabric
The sociocultural dynamics of the Indian society, it has been observed that idolizing the son and ignoring the daughter has created multiple problems and is degenerating the social fabric of the state and the country as a whole. The insensitivity to this issue has reached its zenith and the parents are not hesitating to throw away their new born girl children in jungles, dustbins, riversides, railway tracks or in any open space where the baby dies of hostile weather or becomes a prey for stray animals implying that there may be many more cases which do not come into notice even.
High crime rates- gender biased violence
For women, the deficit situation may not improve their status at all, despite what a rudimentary economic model would have us believe. Scarcity of women would not enhance their position in society, due to the simultaneous increase in pressure to marry, higher risk of gender-based violence, rising demand for sex work and the development of trafficking networks. It has been brought out that throughout human history, young men have been responsible for vast preponderance of crime and violence, especially single men, in countries where status and social acceptance depend upon being married and having children.

Significant changes in family structure
The entire family structure will also undergo significant changes under the impact of prolonged or permanent bachelorhood. Many unmarried men would have to be accommodated within the family structure, but with a reduced share of domestic power, because of their marital status. Some men may also choose to live on their own, a rather unusual arrangement for a country like India. In regions where a significant proportion of parents today have a single son, risk of sons remaining unmarried would mean the end of the traditional patrilineal family.

Weaker political voice of women in public decision making
Reduced demographic share in democratic regimes would translate into a weaker political voice in public decision-making, a trend that could be reinforced by women’s lessened involvement in non-domestic activities, such as outside employment and civil life.

Social chaos
The skewed sex ratio could have wider and more permanent social effects like rise in exploitation of women, higher crime rate, an increase in sexual diseases and depression among youth. Sociologists and psychologists said if the sex ratio continues to drop it will lead to chaos in society. Less number of girls in society could cause fights among communities over marriages. When there are a lot of unmarried men around, it would also lead to prostitution and sexually transmitted diseases. It's a cumulative process; less girls means more crime. A further sense of insecurity in parents will lead to more female foeticide which will lead to further decline in sex ratio. This unfortunate situation of poor sex ratio mainly exists in urban, educated and middle class families as sex ratio is not so adverse among weaker sections. An examples of consequence of skewed sex ratio is-There is a community in Kurukshetra where marriage is possible in 'exchange offer' only. If any boy in this community doesn't have sisters for an 'exchange marriage', his wedding is almost impossible. Such bachelor boys get into depression."
Economic implications
The reality is that women’s contribution towards the economic status of the family and towads the country’s development remains invisible to men and women alike. Women’s contribution to the economy is not clearly articulated. It is still seen and addressed as asocial domain issue. But the fact is that women’s labour contribution has become the backbone of the Indian economy’s current growth path. Various implications of skewed sex ratio are-
Declining female labor force participation * According to the ILO’s Global Employment Trends 2013 report, Out of 131 countries India ranks 11th from the bottom in female labor force participation. * Female labor force participation fell from just over 37 per cent in 2004-05 to 29 per cent in 2009-10. * Failure to allow women full access to the labor market is an under-utilization of human resources that holds back productivity and economic growth.

Impact on unorganized sector
The unorganized sector in India is the women’s sector - of the total number of women workers in India, about 94 percent are in the informal or unorganized sector whereas just 6 percent are in the organized or formal sector.
Women constitute 40% of the agricultural workforce and the percentage is rising; 85% of rural womenworkers are in agriculture and at the lowest end in terms of the drudgery and wages. Women are increasingly becoming the primary cultivators, but without land rights.
In industry, the unorganized sector’s contribution to overall GDP is 56.71% and women involved in various modes of production are the main workers, paid and unpaid. 44% of all women workers are involved in unpaid work.
Therefore, if apolicy instrument impacts the contribution of SME’s, say, the women’s groups would be negatively impacted at a stage when their contribution is sought to be made more visible.
In the export oriented production of goods and services, women are the predominant group of value adders, whether it is in the BPO’s, SEZ’s or in some of the sunrise industries like garment export firms, processed food and even in service sectors like hospitality industry. Skewed sex ratio negatively impact the unorganized sector as the it is the women’s sector and less participation of them will result in underutilization of this sector.
Therefore, achieving growth target in agriculture will depend increasingly on women and the sustenance of this growth will depend on the efficiency of women farmers by encouraging them to take ownership of land and property.

Women – face of consumer power * Women have traditionally done most of the household shopping, and, with more money in their hands their role as consumers gets enhance. * Women make perhaps 80% of consumers’ buying decisions from healthcare and homes to furniture and food. * If the numbers of women in the population mix contracts, the expansion of consumer base would be adversely affected. The consumer base, on the other side, would expand faster, if more and more women join the workforce. * Women are not only important producers of goods and services, but also constitute the influential group of consumers.
Thus, the wheels of economic activity are driven by women and girls.

Economic status of the family
Women contribute largely towards the economic status of the family. Consequences of Skewed sex ratio in this domain are- * While they make less money, women are more likely to be single heads of household than men, thus bearing the responsibility of raising children with fewer economic resources * Men are paid more than women, even when they have the same level of education and are in the same occupational field. * Reduced income for women coupled with longer life expectancy and increased responsibility to raise children make it more likely for women to be at an economic disadvantage.

KEY CONSTRAINTS IN POLICY

a) Ineffective legislative provision

* Government of India took legislative preventative measures in 1961 by enacting the Dowry Prohibition Act in order to erase this social problem. However statistics show that dowry deaths have increased over the last five years, instead of diminishing. * The Family Court Act, in regard with Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act (PWADV) is still not implemented in all the states of India. * Constitution Amendment (84th Constitution Amendment) reserving 33 per cent in Parliament and State Legislature is in the pipeline. * The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act is full of loopholes making the implementation ineffective. Most restriction pertains to government facilities. Private laboratories and clinics are not banned from carrying out tests that can be used to reveal a foetus’s sex: they must be only registered.
And there are many more….

b) Poor monitoring of implementation of the Act

The deficiency largely is due to poor resources and lack of capacity manifested in poor inspection and monitoring, poor staff quality, poor performance of advisory committees at all levels, political pressures on district authorities, insufficient understanding of the law and procedures and even victimization of pregnant women. It is mainly due to two reasons –

I. Lack of concern from government
Reasons for poor implementation are attributed to government’s lack of interest in investing in the implementation, as they have not yet perceived sex ratio imbalance as catastrophe requiring government intervention and public perceive the vigorous enforcement as bureaucratic harassment.

ii. Inadequate legislative provisionfor empowering women Legislation to empower women like the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1927 is merely preventive and not prohibitive that would make the marriage null and void. It requires amendment to affect such child marriage as illegal and punishable

c) Lack of information
The Hindu Succession Act that entitles a daughter to inherit her father’s property still remains unknown to millions in the country. The ineffective enforcement of the legislation is due to lack of information about the social consequence on the outfall of skewed sex ratio in society. People need to be educated on the severe social outcome on falling sex ratio.

d) Lack of accountability
The implementation of women welfare schemes well intended may look attractive on paper but may not produce the desired outcome if the money spent is not monitored in terms of its impact on the target group. It requires administrative discipline and good of flow of information to monitor the outcome.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The decline of the girl child in India is a problem of deep-rooted societal discrimination against women and girls; one that has found foothold in the proliferation of cheap and readily accessible sex determination technologies, such as sonograms and ultrasounds. Through foeticide, infanticide and the intentional neglect of girls and young women, the women of India are fast disappearing. Also, decades-old government population programmes intended to encourage family planning and the “two-child norm”, have correlatively encouraged sex selective elimination (SSE), eroding the value of the girl child, and stripping women of their reproductive decision- making power. In some of the worst affected areas, such as the states of Punjab and Haryana, the scarcity of women is so acute that women and girls from impoverished outlying states are trafficked in the purpose of marriage.

The problem continues to be ignored today; more than a decade after the first national legislation on sex selection was passed in 1994. In 2001, brief renewed interest in the country’s deteriorating Child Sex Ratio (CSR) was sparked off after Amartya Sen publicly noted that the figures in the 2001 Census showed a dramatic worsening of the situation, especially in the country’s worst affected districts.

Thus a concerted campaign to end sex selection demands that India’s civil society enhance its pressure on the government to take action to curtail the misuse of preconception and prenatal technologies, and to regulate to behaviours of those seeking profit from the industry. It is imperative that a campaign to address sex selection recognizes the necessity of reformulating and changing the population control strategy with the goal of seeking the targeted gender balance strategies. Finally, education, public awareness, and promoting the value of the girl child in a small family will play a critical role in bringing about an end to the problem of SSE.

We have divided the strategic options formulated on the basis of principles of effectiveness, customization and integration to mitigate the problem into 3 levels:

* Immediate Strategy:
These are the set of actions that need to be taken up without any delay.

* Medium-term Strategy:
These are the set of actions that can be planned and executed in a fixed time span.

* Long-term Strategy:
These comprise of the actions that are to be made to happen in a long term due to their dependence on a course of actions.

Immediate Strategy can comprise of the following options:

* Prohibiting female foeticide

Using a technique called as ultra sound scanning, the people could determine the sex of the baby carried by the lady. If this was just for information purposes, it wouldn't have done any harm. But people started misusing this information. If the sex of the baby was not as per their expectations, or the expectations of their family, or other such conditions - abortions were done to terminate the pregnancy. Sometimes it was with the concurrence of both parents, while in many cases - it was done without respecting the thoughts and views of the lady or both the parents. Ultrasound should be stopped so that people are not able to detect the sex of a child and practice female foeticide. A source in a private hospital in Bahadurgarh revealed that the ultrasound centres did not deal with the patients directly and even strictly turned them away if anybody walked in for the test. They have touts hovering around the ultrasound centres that followed them and then struck a deal at their residence or any place away from the centre. These touts charge hefty fee and even bargain with the patient as per his/her financial condition. The patient would be later asked to visit the centre mostly early in the morning. After the check-up, the patient would walk out and the tout would later intimate the ward of the patient. * Sensitising society to look at a girl child as a boon

The discriminatory treatment meted to girl child is largely due to the traditional perspective of society towards the girl child, which is reflective in the growing incidence of the crime and violence against her- a phenomenon that starts even before her birth through female foeticide. A unique feature of the problem is that it is not restricted to any social or economic group and cuts across caste and income barriers making the girl an endangered species, an issue confronting the nation and needs immediate action to change the mindset, to view the girl as an asset and not a liability. Traditional perception of a daughter as ‘paraya dhan’ as she is to be given away, will not inherit property, will not perform the last rites of her parents and will costs a great deal in terms of dowry need to be changed through sensitization and advocacy. The positive image of girls as one who is educationally sound, professionally competent and economically independent, can take care of parents and perform their last rites must be projected. We need to have a mindset revolution. People should discard the gender bias they have in their mind. People should overthrow any apprehensions they have towards the girl child. Keeping this in view, Government has recently launched a “Save the Girl Child” Campaign to lessen the preference of a son by highlighting the achievement of young girls.

* Dissemination of information regarding girl welfare

A beginning is made in the formidable change introduced in the Hindu Succession (Amendment Act) 2005 that gives right of heritance to daughters and another landmark legislation in 2006 was protection of women against domestic violence, that reinforce the anti-dowry Act. Haryana and Andhra Pradesh have taken steps to address gender equity through cash support to families with daughters. Therefore, it needs widespread dissemination of information on the legislation of these laws, which provide equal share and opportunities to girls in property/assets or employment.

* Need for public education on provision of MTP Act

The Indian MTP (Medical Termination of Pregnancy) Act laid down the conditions under which an abortion could be taken up. It aimed to empower the women - to take a conscious decision to give birth to a child - and protect her from harmful medical conditions. Lack of awareness of the Act leads medical professionals and general public to believe that sex determination and foeticide are covered under Medical Termination of Pregnancy. Therefore education about the provision of the Act should be widespread.

* Special focus on the rehabilitation and health of the girl child

Rehabilitation packages need to be designed for specific types of abuse/ violence so that the victim receives the correct and appropriate rehabilitation required to be successfully reintegrated back into society. Health and hygiene education should be conducted for children of sex workers as due to their high risk environment, the possibilities of contracting STD/ HIV/AIDs etc. are quite high. Strengthen regional and overseas initiatives to prevent cross border trafficking and also enable rescue and repatriation of children to their countries of origin. Ensure that the employers of domestic child labour especially of girls are punished.

* Addressing issues like dowry and domestic violence

Domestic Violence, Rape, Sexual Exploitation, molestation, eve-teasing, forced prostitution, Sexual harassment at work places, etc. are a common affair today. Some of the figures to support the fact are as below: * Every 42 minutes a sexual harassment occurs. * Every 43 minutes a woman kidnapped. * Every 93 minutes a woman is burnt a very dowry. * Pre quarter of reported rapes involve girls under the age of 16 years. * Trafficking / selling of girl child * Every 26 minutes a woman is molested. * Every 34 minutes a rape take place.
So, safety measures need to be improved and awareness should be created against these evil practices to combat these issues. For this, the Government passed the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 to protect a woman from any form of violence or abuse. There is also a Family Courts Act, 1984 to promote conciliation in and secure speedy settlement of disputes relating to marriage and family affairs. Similarly, there is a Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 to prohibit the request, payment or acceptance of a dowry.

* Mothering allowance

To help the mother raise a girl child even if she has to go against her family, a mothering allowance should be given, so that she is not pressurized by the society not to bring her girl child up. In addition to this, a special provision called ‘Palna Scheme’ or ‘Cradle Baby’ should be put in place whereby those who do not want to raise their daughters can place them in these specially appointed cradle centres supported by the State. This will prevent female foeticide and rescue the missing daughters.

* Giving greater education and employment opportunities

We need to make the girl ready for her future, make her independent and enterprising. Education and employment will help women to be independent, which is the requirement of the time. Even if some reservations are required to implement this, it is a good option to fix the issue.
Ladli Laxmi Yojana is a scheme introduced by government of Madhya Pradesh with the objective to lay a firm foundation of girls’ future through improvement in their educational and economic status and to bring about a positive change in social attitude towards birth of a girl. The scheme was inaugurated by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan in 2007 and seeing its success and popularity six other states have since emulated the scheme.
This would eliminate the dropouts for the school by the girl students. This scheme was implemented in the society level in the year 2006 by the government so as to incorporate an initiative for women development. The principle objective behind this Yogna was to lay down a firm foundation for the future development of girls by giving them a strong educational background which would thus in turn empower their economic status as well. This would thus help in building up a positive attitude among the people when they witness the birth of a girl child next in their society.
The working of Ladli Laxmi Yogna is incorporated as follows. Every girl who fulfils the mentioned criteria of this is being provided Rs.2000 while she is admitted in Class 6th, Rs.4000 on being admitted in Class 11th whereas Rs.7000 on being admitted in Class 12th. An additional amount of Rs.200 per month is given while the girl child is pursuing her intermediate. Finally when the girl reaches the age of 21 and if she isn’t married yet she is provided with the lump sum amount of Rs.100000. Ladli Laxmi Yogna forms can be referred from the internet from many of the websites.

* Counselling and campaigning to educate the society on the implication of falling sex ratio
To reinforce the positive image of girls, the society must be educated on the adverse impact of falling sex ratio, the possibility of the society turning into polyandry as already happening in Haryana, frequent child bearing by women producing physically weak children, increased number in unmarried males and the possibility of female forcible abduction. The agencies to help in the advocacy for Girl Child survival and her welfare will be the press, media, journals, articles and will be supported by spiritual and political leaders, social activists, NGOs, community groups.

* Create Age-Appropriate Financial Services

Recognizing the different needs and capacities among adolescent girls of varying ages is critical to successful programs. Financial literacy and youth savings programs can be relevant for all ages and provide a critical base for future economic advancement. However, microcredit strategies tend to be more appropriate among older adolescent girls and young women who have the mobility, resources, and social support to launch small businesses.

* Link Employment Programs with Real Market Needs and Opportunities

Programs that offer adolescent girls vocational training and employment opportunities should design their programs to match market needs and opportunities. This approach requires designing a quality training process that builds girls’ technical and soft skills, and enlists the commitment of employers to hire program participants. These programs should also help address any health and social obstacles that negatively affect a participant’s ability to work, such as lack of participation in the public sphere, early marriage, and adolescent pregnancy.

* Address the Intersection of Factors that Shape Girls’ Lives

A review of programs from across the globe reveals that an integrated approach considering adolescent girls’ overall well-being is critical to achieving economic empowerment. Programs should combine life-skills training and social support with strategies to promote access to financial services and employment. Weekly club meetings for girls can provide a safe space for reproductive health and leadership training as well as financial training and job guidance.

Medium-term Strategy can comprise of the following options:

* Strengthening Accountability

District Authorities need to play a proactive role and the accountability mechanism to enforce the law should be strengthened by the District Magistrate accountable to the lapses in enforcing the law. The offence must be made punishable by cancellation and suspension of the clinics and giving wide publicity through press and website of the de-listed clinics and doctors. As foeticide needs to be treated as a crime, it must be brought under IPC of the Police Act and scrutiny of the court while record keeping of foeticide must be kept mandatory by clinics. An advisory committee consisting of doctors, lawyers, social workers and officers dealing with the media should be constituted under the chairpersonship of Minister of Health and Family Welfare to oversee the implementation of the Act.

* Integrated Policy Network

The District administration must strengthen its vertical and horizontal network by cooperation and collaboration with the Income Tax Department. Income of the clinics including mobile machines operating in different units must be cross checked with the ultrasound performances by the Income tax department and record of the PAN number of doctors and clinics should be made mandatory.

Long-term Strategy comprises of:

* Effective Legislation for administrative discipline

The laws need to be strengthened through amendments thus making it easier to punish the offence. Registrations of pregnancies and births should be made compulsory to ensure that unwarranted abortions do not take place and must make both public and private doctors accountable to the violation of the Act. The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994 and the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 should be enforced successfully.

* Having fast-track implementation of stringent laws against all kinds of reprehensible acts

There should be fast-track courts to handle all crimes against women in a speedy and just manner so that all the criminals know the severity of their crimes.

* Social marketing of the issue

* Project Nanhi Kali Initiated in 1996 by K C Mahindra Education Trust (KCMET) with an objective of providing primary education to the underprivileged girl child in India. Supports the education of girl children by providing not only academic support but also direct material support in the form of uniforms, clothes, note books etc. Individuals, groups and corporates are encouraged to sponsor the education of a girl child for a minimum period of one year. The project currently supports the education of over 50,800 underprivileged girl children. * Cinema & Girl Child’s Education CSR partnership between Adlabs Cinema and Nanhi Kali, an NGO. Support and spread awareness on education of the disadvantaged girl child in India. Adlabs introduced a special food combo called the “Classroom Combo” – a certain percentage of the sales of which was contributed to the cause of nurturing a girl child’s education. * MulgiShikli, Pragati Jhali: The RTO doesn't “pass” any new auto rickshaw that doesn't have this social message emblazoned on its’ back. Every commuter on the roads in bumper to bumper Bombay traffic reads this message & is aware of its importance. The best part is that each poor, semi-literate auto rickshaw driver now knows that this is an important message! * Girl Child Issues in TV Soaps * National Girl Child Day Govt. of India declared January 24 as National Girl Child Day. This date marks the day in 1966 that Indira Gandhi took over as the first woman prime minister of India. To spread the awareness of the same, a group of students from BITS Pilani did a cycle rally from Pilani to nearby town Chirawa. The Ministry of Women and Child Development launched a campaign to highlight the evils of: female foeticide, female infanticide, discrimination in health, nutrition and education, gender bias. * International Girl Child Day September 24th looks to bring light to the issues & awareness to the plight of girls across the globe. CRY launched an interactive micro-site to involve people in the campaign against gender discrimination. The online platform explores reasons that give rise to the practice of female foeticide, and provides information on skewed sex ratio. PFMI World 2009 came together with Nanhi Kali on International Girl Child's Day. * `Golden Future' for girl child CLINIC Plus, the shampoo brand from Hindustan Lever Ltd, has announced an initiative for girl children in Tamil Nadu called Ponnana Edhirkalam (Golden Future). It aimed at recognising and celebrating the efforts of the mother who invests and sacrifices for her children's success. It held an essay-writing contest on `Why My Mother is the Best Mother in the World' involving 160 girls' schools across 40 towns. It organised an entertainment night for 60 finalists and their families in Chennai where the mothers will be felicitated.

Role of NGOs in improving gender equity in India

Alleviating the issue of gender equity in India is a daunting task as one needs to acknowledge the fact that gender based discrimination is a deep rooted social evil which has been set and reinforced on the overall psyche of the society of many centuries. This problem is not going to go away in a short time no matter how much effort or resources are put in. Laws and policies are also ineffective in India’s context as implementation is a huge issue. Despite of laws being present which prohibit selective sex abortions, the imbalance in the gender equity is worsening by each passing year. Addressing this malice of gender inequity is battle against powerful societal forces which are against growth and development of women.
Despite the limited success of government interventions, there have been numerous non-governmental organizations which have been working towards this cause.
Techniques such as Amniocentesis were introduced in 1975 to identify any genetic abnormalities. Sadly, these soon became a tool for sex determination and proved to be a call of death for the tiny unborn female foetuses 1. Then in the late seventies and eighties, the Indian women’s movement focused on issues of dowry deaths, female feticide, sati, rape and other forms of violence 2. Several NGOs have been set up since the eighties which have been working towards women empowerment. They are located all across the country and working on multiple fronts such as, sensitization towards women, spreading awareness about women rights, schooling of girls, registration of pregnancies, and vigilance on selective abortion, among others. Many NGOs have also been pushing towards formulation of better legislations and policies which are aimed to prevent social malpractices such as dowry which reinforce the social mentality that prefers boy child.

What needs to be done

The issue of reversing the gender imbalance in India needs to be tackled on multiple fronts. There are several issues which need to be addressed on a top priority basis. Here we list the major areas of working which need attention. Although changes would not be visible immediately, a constant push in the direction would help alleviate these issues over a few decades.
Education
Education of women, right from primary level up to adult literacy, should be made the foremost concern. Education is a tool to empower women and it equips them with the knowledge to help them make informed decisions. It’ll also help them realize their rights and the legal remedies available to them to protect them from injustice. Primary education to girls would help in breaking the glass ceilings women set for themselves. Education at primary level should be co-ed so that both genders learn to live harmoniously from an early age. Moreover, the teachers need to be trained to instil a sense of equality among both the genders. Investing in the education of females would help achieve a balance in society in the long run.

Legislations and policy changes
The issue of “preference for a boy” arises from the assurance that the family heritage would have an heir. Since women have no claim over patriarchal property, and compounded by the issue of dowry, it adds to this mentality. The community (i.e. social, economic, religious and cultural institutions) provides the mechanisms for perpetuating male control over women's sexuality, mobility and labor. The state as a patriarchal unit legitimizes the proprietary rights of men over women, providing a legal basis to the family and community to perpetuate these relations. The state does this through the enactment of discriminatory laws and policies 3. Power is concentrated in men because of their ownership and control of economic resources 4. There is an immediate need to make reforms in the inheritance laws. Ancestral property should be split equally among all heirs irrespective of gender. Legal right to ancestral property to both genders would mean women would have control of resources which can be channelled towards their daughters’ education and marriage. The preference for boys would thus be weakened as now property from both the mother’s and father’s side would be distributed equally among all their heirs. It would effectively balance the power distribution among the genders.
Another legislation which needs attention concerns the penalty awarded for foeticide. Under the Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994 foeticide is not considered as a murder. The penalty is for a maximum of three years and a fine of ₹10,000 only. This meagre punishment does not instil fear in the minds of the perpetrators who brazenly continue to secretly operate sex selective abortions. Many state governments have been lobbying at the center to bring foeticide under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (concerns murder). This needs to be done immediately. Along with a solid implementation strategy which includes surveillance and vigilance from village level to cities about pregnancies, natal care clinics and deliveries would help curb selective abortions.
Several other laws, which concern domestic violence, dowry and harassment, need to be reformed too. These issues undermine the status of women in the society and hence these laws need to be made tougher.
Awareness campaigns
It is very important to bring about a change in the mind-set of the society and make people realize the importance of women in the society. This change would not happen overnight but would need decades’ long effort. The discriminatory treatment meted to girl child is largely due to the traditional perspective of society towards the girl child, which is reflective in the growing incidence of the crime and violence against her- a phenomenon that starts even before her birth through female foeticide. A unique feature of the problem is that it is not restricted to any social or economic group and cuts across caste and income barriers making the girl an endangered species, an issue confronting the nation and needs immediate action to change the mind-set, to view the girl as an asset and not a liability. Traditional perception of a daughter as ‘paraya dhan’ as she is to be given away, will not inherit property, will not perform the last rites of her parents and will costs a great deal in terms of dowry need to be changed through sensitization and advocacy. The positive image of girls as one who is educationally sound, professionally competent and economically independent, can take care of parents and perform their last rites must be projected.
There is a need for educating society on the implication of falling sex ratio To reinforce these positive images of girls, society must be educated on the adverse impact of falling sex ratio, the possibility of the society turning into polyandry as already happening in Haryana, frequent child bearing by women producing physically weak children, increased number in unmarried males and the possibility of female forcible abduction. The agencies to help in the advocacy for Girl Child survival and her welfare will be the press, media, and journals articles and will be supported by spiritual and political leaders, social activists, NGOs, community groups.
Greater role in public sphere
To tackle the mentality of preference for boys, steps can be taken which give females a greater opportunity for participation, especially in the public sphere (government institutes, jobs, ministerial roles, etc.). The government could pass legislations which enforce a minimum participation of females, such as reservations of seats in national institutes, government jobs, legislative assemblies, and parliament, among others. There have been stories from all across India where one can see a high level of participation from women, especially at the rural level.
In Kerala, for instance, gram Panchayats have to allocate a minimum 10% of their budget for programmes related to the development of women. Today, the “gram sabhas of Kerala are predominantly attended by women. In the beginning, it was just presence and it has gradually transformed into actual participation. In the gram sabhas, women started taking up a lot of issues that are challenging to women in their area. The gram sabhas have become one platform where they are heard and seen”, says Peter M. Raj, associate professor at Kerala Institute of Local Administration.5
Positive steps are being taken by the Orissa government too. “The State Government will soon take steps to reserve 50% positions for women in Panchayati Raj institutions from 2012 elections as their role in these Bodies is significant” Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik told a public meeting on the occasion of the 94th birth anniversary of his father legendary Mr. Biju Patnaik.6

The future…
The trend of falling gender ratio in India needs immediate and urgent attention as a gender imbalance will lead to social anarchy. Steps taken today will bear fruit in the future. Although the government and NGOs are working at different fronts, the situation still demands more effort. There are still many ideas which haven’t been explored and this requires the participation of the youth.

References

1http://www.savegirlchild.org/ngo.html
2http://aidindia.org/aipsn/health/feticide.html
3, 4http://www.womenstudies.in/elib/sex_selection/ss_female_infanticide_philosophy.pdf
5 http://www.livemint.com/Politics/Ft0NkqvKinEXL2C3EBVrkM/Tripura-Kerala-open-the-door-for-women-in-panchayats.html
6http://orissa.gov.in/e-magazine/Orissareview/2011/Feb-Mar/engpdf/39-41.pdf
http://www.socialsciences-ejournal.org/5.10.%20Chandrasekharayya.pdf
http://www.unfpa.org/gender/docs/sexselection/UNFPA_Publication-39764.pdf