Wednesday 22 June 2011

Sex test: New business for middlemen

JAIPUR: With growing awareness on female foeticide in the state , there is a new entrant in the business of sex determination tests and eventual abortion . Investigations by bodies fighting against the crime have revealed that middlemen are fast finding a place in the business .

According to NGOs working against the crime in the state , "Increased threat perception has allowed middlemen to step in . Earlier , one walked into an ultra-sonography centre and walked out after a sex determination test. But now the business is conducted only through trusted channels ," says Rajan Chaudhary , secretary of the Sriganganagar-based Shikshit Rozgar Kendra Prabandhak Samiti(SRKPS ).

Awareness on foeticide in the state comes after a drastic fall in the child sex ratio in the state as per figures of Census 2011. Rajasthan is critically positioned in terms of number of girls between the age group of zerotosix years ascomparedto boys . The census revealed that for 1,000 boys , Rajasthan today has only 883 girls.

Sex selection and discrimination against girl child have been part of the mindset in the state that has traditionally viewed daughters as liabilities and accorded an inferior social status to women . The middlemen could either be government servants or people from the private sector who have fixed commissions for the job.

"Recently , in one of our sting operations we caught hold of the block chief medical officer of Nawalgarh . He was facilitating one such operation after taking Rs 2,000. Such incidents happen due to lack of effective measuresfrom thestate to curb such practices ," Chaudhary added .

He said that as many as 5,000 illegal agents , who facilitate the tests and foeticide, are active in the state currently . There are about 1,804 registered ultrasound centres in the state . "But while the state has granted licences to these places for operating , no track or check is kept on their work . Besides , there are thousands of unregistered ultrasound clinic that are functioning across the state ," he said .

Figures complied by the NGO reveal that about 304 girls are killed everyday before being born in Rajasthan despite an increasein thestateliteracy rate . According to figures , 10,925 female foetuses are aborted every year , 9,304 every month and 304 everyday .

According to the current data , the state government has began action against 183 ultrasound clinics while about 13 cases are on under the Pre-natal Diagnostic Technique (PNDT) Act in Sikar , Jhunjhunu and Jaipur . Chaudhary pointed out that female foeticide had its origin in urban areas and Jaipur has one of the lowest child sex ratios in the state at 859 .

Source:- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Sex-test-New-business-for-middlemen/articleshow/8958556.cms

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