‘Save girl child’– a topic that is talked about almost everywhere, but are we doing enough for it? 

The present scenario :

The 2001 Census conducted by Government of India, showed a sharp decline in the child sex ratio in 80% districts of India.

India, in all its glory of being an IT superpower and one of the fastest developing countries, tragically represents the lowest child sex ratio in the world.

India represents one of the most adverse Child Sex Ratio figures amongst the Southeast Asian countries, which is alarming.

The most affected areas are affluent states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Ironically, our national capital, New Delhi, has the worst sex ratio i.e., 866.

Female Foeticide - A social evil

Female foeticide is both a national problem and a social evil. It’s unbelievable that the urge for a boy-child makes them so cruel that they dare to kill the child that is yet to be born.

Causes of female foeticide

The different possible causes for the problem of female foeticide are:

1. Low position of women: On one hand we worship goddesses with full respect while on the other hand women are subjected to injustices. People feel that the birth of girl child may lower their status in the society. Thus, people leave no stone unturned to get a boy-child.

2. Extreme poverty: People who live in extremely poor conditions often think that the girl child would cause more economic hardship to them as they are not considered as the earning members of the family.

3. Illiteracy: Illiterate people are unaware of the crime they are committing and what harm can it have on the society. They do not use their own wisdom and blindly follow what has been going on since ages.

4. Dowry system: The social evil of dowry system worsens the situation as one may not be able to fulfill the demands of the boy's family.

• It has been observed that even the affluent people in India prefer a boy-child to a girl-child. I think that the economic causes are not a proper excuse for this crime. 

• The main reason is that they have a lot of property and they want a heir for themselves. It is believed that the boys should be given the responsibility to take care of the wealth and property that has been passed down in the family since ages. 

• Moreover, they are the first ones to have access to new techniques like ultrasound and other medical facilities.

How can we save the girl child?

1. Women empowerment: The women need to be empowered. She needs to fight for her right of giving birth to a baby be it a boy or a girl.

2. Spreading awareness: Every citizen of the country should be made aware of the fact that a girl child is as important as a boy child. They should come to know that if proper facilities are provided to a girl (i.e., proper living conditions, education, health, etc.) she can help her family economically.

3. Education: Education raises the knowledge regarding various social issues of a person. Thus, more and more people will understand the value of girls and it would lead to a decrease in female foeticide.

4. Government initiatives: Our government is taking various initiatives to keep a check on illegal practices and support the birth and raising up of a girl-child but, more efforts are required to stop the practice of female foeticide.