Punjab to reward sting operations against sex tests (Sunday, June 26, 2011 9:09:18 PM by IANS )

Chandigarh, June 26 (IANS) Carrying out a sting operation to expose illegal sex determination tests in Punjab can now earn you a reward of Rs 50,000, a minister announced Sunday.
Punjab has a sex ratio of 893 females per 1,000 males, one of the worst among states in the country.
Embarrassed by the poor sex ratio, Punjab Health Minister Satpal Gosain announced an award for any journalist or non-journalist who expose female foeticide through a sting operation.
The health minister said that this was being done in order to eradicate the social evil of female foeticide from Punjab region and to improve the sex ratio.
Gosain said that the new policy, which will promote sting operations against sex determination tests, was aimed at saving the girl child.
“According to this scheme any journalist or commoner, who will initiate a sting operation would be awarded with an amount of Rs.50,000,” Gosain said.
He said that an amount of Rs.5 lakh (Rs.500,000) would reserved every year for promoting sting operations against the evil.
In case of information given to government information about the illegal tests by any informer, he would be given a reward of Rs.20,000, if the details turn out to be true.
He said that a provision had also been made to reward village panchayats where the sex ratio improves.

Source:  http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/punjab-to-reward-sting-operations-against-sex-tests_100545615.html  

UN accepts suggestions by Harshinder Kaur for curbing foeticide

PATALA: United Nations Humans Rights council has accepted measures suggested by of Dr Harshinder Kaur on curbing foeticide at international level. Kaur had presented her recommendations during the 17th session of UN held at Geneva from June 6 to 14, this year. A deputy medical superintendent at Rajidera Hospital in Patiala, Kaur had made four recommendations during the presentation on her paper on female foeticide.

The recommendations include sensitizing younger generation around the world with literature fromUNICEF to fight against the menace of female foeticide, widespread knowledge about X&Y chromosomes in regional languages of various countries, exemplary punishment for heinous crimes such as rape of minor must be strongly pushed for by international human rights council and UNICEF must put in all their economic and political efforts to support various governments showing improvement in gender ratio.

"The number of girls is going down not only in our country, but many developed countries are also facing the problem of female foeticide. Our Indians too, settled in developed countries don't want girls," said Dr Kaur while showing her papers presented in Geneva during special session.


SOURCE:- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/UN-accepts-suggestions-by-Harshinder-Kaur-for-curbing-foeticide/articleshow/9034095.cms

STEPS TAKEN BY INDIAN GOVERNMENT TO SAVE GIRL CHILD..!

The Background

Historically, India has been one of the first countries to identify the Girl Child as the focus of attention for improving the overall social and economic status of women.

Steps

The Balika Samriddhi Yojana in 1997 is one of the most important initiatives of the Government to raise overall status of the girl child. The Yojana aims to change family and community attitudes towards both, the girl child and the mother. A series of incentives were included in the Yojana, including the likes of a gift of Rs. 500/- to the mother on delivery of a baby girl and the provision of an annual scholarship for the girl, with the overall aim of improving enrolment and retention of girls in school. In another major initiative, in 2005, the Government of India also announced free and reduced cost education for girls. Those with two girls and no other children were promised discounts of up to 50%. The program also offered fellowships of US$ 45 per month for those undertaking post-graduate studies. Various State Governments have formulated State Plans of Action for Girl Child, appropriate to the condition prevailing in each state, prominently including Governments of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Goa. Adding on, the Government had also set up policies like the National Nutrition Policy (1993), which recognizes the stage of adolescence as a special period for a multi-sectoral nutrition intervention for the females. To ensure effective implementation of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994, a Central Supervisory Board was also set-up under the chairpersonship of the Minister-in-charge of Health and Family Welfare. Furthermore, the National Policy on Education (1986) was formulated to address the question of setting right the traditional gender imbalances in education, making a strong commitment in favor of education for women’s equality. A recent news story also reported a unique campaign being carried out by over 200 people across five northern and western states of India, under the leadership of the well-known religious leader and social activist, Swami Agnivesh. Chief Minister of Haryana (India), Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hudda, also lauded the consistent efforts of Swami Agnivesh in the Campaign Against Female Foeticide and pledged to extend all possible infrastructural support and assistance. Other beneficial schemes include the Adolescent Girls Scheme, the Child Survival and Safe Motherhood Programme, the Universal Immunization Programme, special health check up schemes for primary school students, introduction of health cards in selected areas, evaluation of health programmes, the Mid-day Meal Scheme for primary school children and nutrition education.           Reports also indicate that the government aims to eliminate all forms of child labor by 2020. SOURCE:- http://www.savegirlchild.org/other-steps.html

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

Short Film-Nanhi Chidiya

must watch,,,!!!

Guru Nanak asserted that women were not at all inferior to men:

• "From the woman is our birth, in the woman's womb are we shaped;
  To the woman we are engaged, to the woman we are wedded;
  The woman is our friend and from the woman is the family;
  If one woman dies, we seek another, through the woman are the bonds of the world;
  Why call woman evil who gives birth to kings?
  From the woman comes the woman, without woman there is none;
  O Nanak, God alone is the one Who is independent of the woman (because He is unborn)."
  (Var Asa Mohalla 1, 2-19, p-473)  (Reproduced from Sikhism Philosophy Network)

 SOURCE:- http://www.maharashtraweb.com/Haryana/foeticide.htm

Here are some ideas to prevent female infanticide and female foeticide.

- Free education for women up to college and even post graduate education in government run institutions (Similar plans are being implemented in many states in India)
- Males should stand up to their own moms and dads when they start chirping about unwanted female children.
- Create a feminine movement so that women feel a sisterhood towards each other and stand up for a woman in a neighboring house rather than turn a blind eye.
- Refuse marriage of women into households or be very careful of families that have only male children or a very high percentage of males. Chances are high that they did you know what. Again, a few innocents will be in needless trouble, but sometimes poisonous and normal snakes look alike and it is better to get out a stick and protect your own daughters and sisters.
- Do not provide any government incentives to families that have only males. Again the bad snake good snake logic applies. But that is OK. Consider it payback for all the dead female children.
- Provide extra incentives for families that have more than one girl child. This will help correct the gender balance in a few years.
- If you have a female child, educate her and provide her the same opportunities as a male child. This is the one thing that makes female killing folks look foolish and dumb.
- Encourage marriage of males to educated women. Conversely, an educated female class will be more aware of their rights.

From The Tribune, Chandigarh 2003/09/12

SOURCE:- http://www.maharashtraweb.com/Punjab/foeticide.htm?gclid=CI7UydDJtKkCFQt66wodLWn0aQ#prevent female foeticide 

Declining child sex-ration a national shame: PM ( Apr 21, 2011)

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singhtoday said it was a "national shame" that the practice of female foeticide was continuing in the country despite women breaking existing barriers to prove their worth in every sphere.

"The provisional population totals for Census 2011have been released recently. While most of the news appears to be good, the falling child sex ratio is an indictment of our social values," he said inaugurating the Civil Services Day here.

Improving this ratio was not merely a question of stricter compliance with the existing laws and "What is more important is how we view and value the girl child in our society," he said.

"Our girls and women have done us proud in classrooms, in boardrooms and on the sports field. They have broken existing barriers to prove their worth in almost every sphere", the Prime Minister said.

"It is a national shame for us that despite this, female foeticide and infanticide continues in many parts of our country", he said, adding the social bias against women has to be fought with all the physical and moral resources.

Seeking a national campaign to counter this bias, Singh told the civil servants to play a big role in launching a crusade against it.
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Declining-child-sex-ration-a-national-shame-PM/articleshow/8045534.cms