Punjabi students in Canada launch campaign against dowry, foeticide(Amarinder Singh, TNN | Sep 26, 2011, 05.50AM IST)

PATIALA: As many as 250 students of Punjabi origin in Surrey in Canada have vowed against dowry and female foeticide and have launched a signature campaign to secure the support of their parents and other relatives.

This followed a meeting of these students ofKwantlen Polytechnic University with Patiala-based women rights activist, Dr Harshinder Kaur. During her visit to Vancouver this week, Kaur had conducted meetings with young students of the university and motivated them to launch a campaign against female foeticide and dowry in their areas.

"Female foeticide and dowry are not confined to our country these days. Punjabis settled abroad are also facing the same problem as we in Punjab. They migrated to foreign shores, but there are many who still have not changed their minds and prefer only male child," said Kaur.

Kaur said that youths in Canada were under pressure from their parents. Many young students alleged that if they don't follow the directions of their Punjabi parents, they may disown them.

Also, some girls alleged their parents have been pressuring them to marry only in Punjab so that they could save dowry money, said Kaur. "In Punjabi community, in some parts of Brampton and Toronto, the sex ratio has come to down to 876 as they don't want girls," said Kaur.


Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Punjabi-students-in-Canada-launch-campaign-against-dowry-feticide/articleshow/10121698.cms
Pic source:http://www.topnews.in/law/bhopal-students-launch-girl-child-campaign-247755

Save the Girl Child: 7 Celebs Who Support the Cause

Changing the mind-set of a country so strongly rooted in backward thinking and beliefs is a hard task. So while most celebrities are busy supporting Anna Hazare, some are lending their star-dom to a more rampant cause.

Source: http://idiva.com/photogallery-work-life/save-the-girl-child-7-celebs-who-support-the-cause/7355

5 Must-Knows About the Save the Girl Child Campaign

Image courtesy: © Thinkstockphotos/ Getty images

iDiva is celebrating September as Save the Girl Child month because we believe that our country still has some serious problems when it comes to sex selection and gender discrimination. Check out these statistics if you don't believe us. As citizens, it becomes our responsibility to do what we can to create awareness and put an end to female foeticide/ infanticide (even if it just means reporting such a crime). That's why we at iDiva bring you all you need to know about the government's initiative and how you can be a part of it.

1) Know that sex selection is illegal by Indian law. The Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PCPNDT Act) 1994 prohibits sex selection, before or after conception. Its purpose is to prevent misuse of technologies, such as ultrasound, in situations where information on sex of the foetus is found out for the specific purpose of eliminating girls. It is illegal to test the sex of the foetus for non-medical reasons. The law provides for imprisonment, which may be extended to 3 years and fine up to Rs.10,000 for the first conviction. So if you know of doctors/ hospitals that engage in such practices, you can report them (anonymously, if you want to).

2) In 2009, the government declared January 24 as National Girl Child Day. Thereafter, the Women and Child Development Ministry launched a sustained campaign to create awareness about female foeticide, domestic violence and malnutrition in women and children.

Contest: Take part in iDiva's Girls Have All the Fun Contest and WIN a Vineyard Tour for Two worth Rs.28000!

3) The state of Maharashtra has its own website to promote the Save the Girl Child cause called Amchi Mulgi. They also have a toll free number (1800-233-4475) you can call to report sex selection.

4) The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh is also set to launch their 'beti bachao' campaign. They have appealed to their partymen, who don't have a girl child, to adopt one and to all party cadre to print an appeal on all wedding invitation cards against the practice of prenatal sex-determination. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and BJP president in that state Prabhat Jha are planning to adopt girls too!

5) Project Sukanya, an initiative of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to save the girl child was launched last month. The Pre Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PC-PNDT) cell has been set up at IMA and a proposal has been submitted to the PMC for devising a software to check sex determination.

We all know that being a girl is super special. Sadly, not everyone seems to think so. That's why iDiva is celebrating September as "Save the Girl Child" month. Join us as we raise awareness about this cause, highlight initiatives that promote girl children and explore what we can do to make a difference. There's also loads of fun in store 'coz we're celebrating just how special we girls really are! 

SOURCE:http://idiva.com/news-relationships/5-mustknows-about-the-save-the-girl-child-campaign/7618

5L people vow against female foeticide(Sep 7, 2011, 05.31AM IST)

KARNAL: To check the state's dwindling sex ratio, Karnal district has come up with an innovative idea of organizing pledge ceremonies on the 6th of every month for saving the girl child.

On the first day of the initiative on Tuesday, more than 5 lakh people from different walks of life participated in the ceremonies held across the district and took an oath to protect the girl child in family and in neighborhood. In secretariat, the oath was administrated by deputy commissioner Neelam Kasni, who urged participants not to have any bias against the girl child.

The DC had recently appealed for active participation in the ceremony, which saw an overwhelming response. Perhaps, for the first time in the country, people from all hues, including government employees, teachers, students, doctors, lawyers, law officers, farmers, businessmen and representatives of different religious organizations, among others, participated in such an endeavour.

The DC said stringent laws alone could not check female foeticide without society's participation.

"Though some villages are showing an improvement, the district has a sex ratio of 813, which needs to be rectified. The district public relation and information office has been told to rope in 'bhajan mandalis' to spread the message through street plays," the DC added. 


Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/5L-people-vow-against-female-foeticide/articleshow/9891506.cms

Helpline gets 42 complaints about sex-determination tests (Sep 7, 2011, 05.55AM IST)

PUNE: The helpline started to help prevent female foeticide has received 42 complaints and tip offs about illegal sex-determination tests and sex selective abortion being carried out by doctors in Maharashtra.
Inaugurated by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on July 12, the helpline (toll free number 18002334475) aims at encouraging people to come forward and register complaints either on their name or anonymously.
"We received 42 complaints from 16 districts since July 12. But 11 of them have not been attended to by the appropriate authorities. We have sent them reminders about submitting their report within the stipulated time frame. We are awaiting their response," said a state health official.
Beed, which has registered lowest child sex ratio in the state, tops the list with 10 complaints. "Of them, five have been attended to by the authority and reports have been submitted. There is no communication about the remaining complaints," the official said. After Beed, Jalgaon follows with six complaints. Among them one complaint remained unattended by the concerned officials.
The helpline received one complaint each from Mumbai, Nashik, Sangli, Thane, Latur, Hingoli, Osmanabad and Buldhana.
The officials received two complaints about illegal use of sonography machines by doctors practising in Pune. One caller registered a complaint on July 12, saying that sonography centres in Wakad, Aundh and Baner have not been inspected by the PMC's appropriate authority. The other complaint said that a person working at a government hospital in Mukundnagar was involved in private practice.
"Both the complaints were immediately forward to the PMC's appropriate authority. The officials attended to both complaints and submitted their report," officials of the helpline said.
The helpline received one complaint from Pimpri-Chinchwad saying that medical representatives were hand in glove with doctors in Pimpri Chinchwad while conducting sex determination tests.
"The PCMC officials also attended to the complaints and submitted the report," officials said.
The number of unattended complaints are: Pune rural 1, Jalgaon 1, Satara 2, Nanded 1, Beed 5, and Latur 1.
"We don't disclose the identity of the informer. We request people to come forward and inform us about such illegal activities and contribute towards betterment of the society," said officials of the helpline located at the family welfare bureau near RTO office, Sangam bridge.
eom/umesh

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Helpline-gets-42-complaints-about-sex-determination-tests/articleshow/9891686.cms

Violence towards women cause for increase in female foeticide, says study 'TNN | Sep 3, 2011, 02.39AM IST'

NEW DELHI: The increasing violence towards women in public spaces has contributed to an increase in female foeticide as many would-be parents fear security of a girl child, says a recently concluded study in Haryana by the Centre for Social Research.
"We spoke to many affluent young couples who said that it would be much easier for them to leave a boy alone at home as compared to a girl," said Dr Ranjana Kumari from CSR, who was on the research team of the study. "In villages, too, they believe that though dowry is a one-time payment, the burden of 'maintaining chastity' is immense," said Kumari.
The study took place in Kurukshetra and Ambala, districts where sex ratio is below 800 girls per 1000 boys, from May 2009 till April this year, following a similar study in Delhi. During the course of the study, it was found that apart from violence in public spaces, a woman who had only daughters was also more likely to be the target of domestic violence.
The all-India gender ratio has been consistently declining since 1961 when it was 976-1000 to the current all-time low of only 914-1000, probably because female foeticide is no longer an urban issue. "With portable ultrasound machines, even a villager can determine the sex of an unborn child," said Dr Manasi Mishra, also on the research team. Although the machines need to be registered with the local chief medical officer, they found that many were in operation regardless.
Calling the issue a "civilization crisis", Kumari cited improper governance and lack of monitoring of the law as major concerns. "Even if we file a case, the court rejects it saying we are not a notified agency. State governments are negligent; the budget allocated is little; political parties, too, are not cooperative," she said. Members of parliament of Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan had all been allocated Rs five lakh each for spreading awareness on the issue, "but nobody knows where the money has gone," said Mishra.
The entire industry thrives on clandestine practices, illegal yet ignored. The Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, enacted in 1994, outlaws sex determining ultrasound scans, and first-time offenders can face imprisonment of three years, as well as a fine of Rs 10,000. Yet, the law is neither followed nor enforced. According to a 2007 handbook released by the ministry of health and family welfare, only 384 cases had been registered under the Act in India.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Violence-towards-women-cause-for-increase-in-female-foeticide-says-study/articleshow/9842051.cms