Save girl Child

Save girls, save the girl child, is a campaign in India to end the gender-selective abortion of

female fetuses, which has skewed the population towards a significant under-representation

of girls in some Indian states. The "Beti Bachao" campaign is supported by human rights

groups, non-governmental organizations, and state and local government in India. Sex-

selective abortion, or female foeticide, has led to a sharp drop in the ratio of girls born in

contrast to boy infants in some states in India. Ultrasound technology has made it possible for

pregnant women and their families to learn the gender of a foetus early in a pregnancy.

Discrimination against girl infants, for several reasons, has combined with the technology to

result in a rise in abortions of fetuses identified as female during ultrasound testing.

India is growing dynamically in every fields. Today, the boom in economy, innovative

technologies and improved infrastructure has become nation’s pride. The country has

witnessed advancements in all fields but bias against a girl child is still prevailing in the

country.

This social evil is deep rooted in Indian ethos and the most shocking fact is that the

innovative and hard high end technologies are brutally killing the Indian girl child.

Innovative techniques, like biopsy, ultrasound, scan tests and amniocentesis, devised to

detect genetic abnormalities, are highly misused by number of families to detect gender of

the unborn child. These clinical tests are highly contributing to the rise in genocide of the

unborn girl child.

In today’s day and age most couples prefer the process known as a planned pregnancy,

because of various factors; prime amongst them being the financial well being to support the

birth and nurturing of a child. In such cases, the first prenatal visit actually happens prior to

actual pregnancy, to see whether one is ready to go off the contraception pills and conceive a

baby. 

However, in maximum conceptions, one is unaware of the pregnancy until actual realization

dawns after one skips the first menstrual cycle. Normally doctors except ladies to pay their

first visit anywhere between the sixth and twelfth week after conception. 

Amniocentesis started in India in 1974 to detect fetal abnormalities. These tests were used to

detect gender for the first time in 1979 in Amritsar, Punjab. Later the test was stopped by the

Indian Council of Medical Research but it was too late. The benefits of these tests were

leaked out and people started using it as an instrument for killing an innocent and unborn girl

child.  Many of the traditional women organizations also took up cudgels to stop this illegal

practice but all failed and with the passage of time these tests became a major contributor to

bias against a girl child. 

Female feticide and infanticide is not the only issues with a girl child in India. At every stage

of life she is discriminated and neglected for basic nutrition, education and living standard.

When she was in the womb, she was forced to miss the moment when she was supposed to

enter the world. At the time of birth her relatives pulled her back and wrung her neck. After

killing her she was thrown into a trash can. 

During childhood, her brother was loaded with new shoes, dresses and books to learn while

she was gifted a broom, a wiper and lots of tears. In her teenage, she missed tasty delicious

food to eat and got only the crumbs. During her college days, she was forced to get married, a

stage where illiteracy, lack of education resulted in high fertility rate, aggravating the

condition of females in the country. Again if this female gives birth to a girl child, the

journey begins once again. She missed all roses of life and was finally fitted to a graveyard.

That’s where she got peace of mind.

The trend was first noticed when results of the 1991 national census were released, and it was

confirmed to be a worsening problem when results of the 2001 national census were released.

The reduction in the female population of certain Indian states continues to worsen, as results

of the 2011 national census have shown. It has been observed that the trend is most

pronounced in relatively prosperous regions of India.[1] The dowry system in India is often

blamed; the expectation that a large dowry must be provided for daughters in order for them

to marry is frequently cited as a major cause for the problem.[2] Pressure for parents to

provide large dowries for their daughters is most intense in prosperous states where high

standards of living, and modern consumerism, are more prevalent in Indian society.

Rates of female foeticide in Madhya Pradesh are increasing; the rate of live births was 932

girls per 1000 boys in 2001, which dropped to 912 by 2011. It is expected that if this trend

continues, by 2021 the number of girls will drop below 900 per 1000 boys.

Beti Bachao awareness campaign

Beti Bachao activities include large rallies, poster campaigns, wall paintings, billboards, and

television commercials and short animations and video films. Celebrities such as video

director Jagmeet Bal, and Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, have become involved in

"Save the girl child" initiatives.

National support

The Beti Bachao campaign is supported by numerous medical organizations in India,

including the Indian Medical Association.[4]

Government support at the state level has provided funding for Beti Bachao publicity

activities in particular. The expenditures related to the campaign have been a source of

political controversy in Madhya Pradesh, which launched its official Beti Bachao Abhiyan

campaign in 2012.[5]

Effectiveness

The campaign has reported some success in parts of India. In 2009, it was reported that

in Gujarat, rates of female births increased from 802 to 882 for every 1000 male births. Beti

Bachao activities were credited with this improvement.