SKEWED SEX RATIO IN HARYANA AND ITS IMPLICATIONS

Dr R.S.DahiyaSr Professor Surgery

PGIMS,Rohtak.Haryana

9812139001http://www.epw.in/special-articles/female-foeticide-rural-haryana.html

HARYANA STATE SEX RATIOUP TO DEC 2011 UP TO DEC 2012 DI

FFMaleBirth

Female Birth

Total Birth

Sex Ratio

Male Birth

Female Birth

Total Birth Sex Ratio

307411 256146 563557 833 307746 255987 563733 832 -1

APPEARS TO IMPROVE BUT STILL LOWEST

TRENDS ARE CLEAR

FOUR ARE FROM HARYANA

NORTH IS NO WHERE EXCEPT HP

MANY ISSUES ARE DEBATABLE

SURVEY IN 2004

IN HARYANA

• "A woman costs Rs.30,000, a buffalo Rs.70,000"

• Haryana's bias against girls and women keeps its sex ratio skewed

• At 774 girls per 1,000 boys, Jhajjar district in Haryana has the country's worst sex ratio in the 0-6 age group. Two of its villages-Behrana and Dhimana-have incredibly low sex ratios of 378 and 444 respectively. In the same age group, Haryana has over four lakh fewer girls than boys-4,07,370 to be precise. The gap was 3.31 lakh in the last census. Over all, the state has 1.35 crore men, compared to 1.18 crore women. A difference of 17.57 lakh. In 2001, the figure was 15.83 lakh.

• "Don't blame us," says Chand Ram, a Behrana octogenarian and an ex-soldier. "Blame the system. Even parents of MBAs or post-graduate girls with jobs have to give away a luxury car as dowry.

•What's the point in having girls? We don't need girls." Argues Umed Singh, 73, a farmer, "If we hate daughters, it's not without reason. What do you do with them? You send them out for education and they only bring a bad name to the family."

• Absurd logic abounds in the region to justify the decreasing female population. In Dhimana, which has nearly 190 households, residents refuse to believe that foeticide is behind the skewed sex ratio. "It's God's gift that most of the children born in this village are boys," claims Dhimana village sarpanch Om Parkash, 70, a bachelor. Varinder Kumar Narula, 67, headmaster of Sunrise High School, offers another reason: "It has to do with diet. People eat well here and so give birth to boys."

• The state officials though make a valid point. "The ultrasound centres are the single largest factor behind the skewed sex ratio," says Director General (Health Services) Narbir Singh. "We do our best but the problem is that most of these illegal activities take place in unregistered ultrasound centres that operate with small devices, making it difficult for us to catch them. But unless people have the will, the problem cannot be rooted out."

• The will to tackle the problem doesn't seem to be there. "In 90 per cent of the cases where a couple is going for a second child, they opt for a sex-detection test," says Narinder Popli, 43, a Jhajjar businessman.

• It was long believed that things would change with literacy. The latest census has deflated that theory as well. Jhajjar has a literacy rate of over 80 per cent. Mewat, with the lowest literacy rate of 56.1 per cent and considered the most backward district in the state, has Haryana's highest sex ratio at 906 females to 1,000 males.

------GENDER BLIND EDUCATION---------

• Literacy and Technology spread have worsened matters. People are aware of abortion as well as sex determination options now and it has become much more acceptable now in society," says Ranbir Singh, consultant with Nilokheri-based Haryana Institute of Rural Development. "In places such as Jhajjar, land prices are very high and people don't want their daughters to get a share of property that they are legally entitled to."

• UNMARRIED BEYOND 25 YEARS OF AGE IN NAYA BAS VILLAGE• 1. Kailash 15. Sandeep• 2. Neeraj 16. Parmod• 3. Satinder 17. Ombir• 4. Pardeep 18. Devilal• 5. Roshan 19. Balwan • 6. Vikas 20. Ashok• 7. Viki 21. Sant lal• 8. Vikram 22. Vinod• 9. Raju 23. Sandeep• 10. Sonu 24. Ajay• 11. Sandeep 25. Kalander• 12. Surender 26. Jasvir• 13. Sanjeet 27. Parveen• 14. Kala 28. Naveen

29. Manoj30. Monu31. Pardeep

ANOTHERVILLAGE• 100 HOUSES• 45 ARE THOSE WHERE ALL BOYS GOT MARRIED• 55 ARE THOSE WHERE A TOTAL OF 85 BOYS ARE

UNMARRIED----- 35 ARE OVER AGED AND NO CHANCE FURTHER. ----15 ARE THOSE WHOSE WIVES HAVE LEFT THEM DUE TO ECONOMY,WINE

• & BAD BEHAVIOUR• 35 ARE IN MARRIAGE AGE BUT NOT GETTING

MARRIED BECAUSE ELDER BROTHER IS STILL UNMARRIED

DHAMAR VILLAGE

• 150 UNMARRIED FROMAGE OF 18—35• 70 ARE 25 AND ABOVE•MAINLY IN JATS AND VERY

LESS IN OTHER CASTES

• Indicating a continuing preference for boys in society, the child sex ratio in India has dropped to 914 females against 1,000 males - the lowest since Independence - in the provisional 2011 Census report released today.

GRAVE CONCERN INSPITE OF ALL EFFORTS

• Despite laws to prevent female foeticide and schemes to encourage families to have girl child, the ratio has declined from 927 females against 1,000 males in 2001 to 914, which was described as a "matter of grave concern" by Census Commissioner of India C Chandramauli.

PANJAB AND HARYANA

• Notably, Punjab and Haryana, which have traditionally seen low sex ratio, have recorded an increasing trend but still remained at the bottom of the list. Haryana has 830 female children and Punjab 846 against per 1000 male child.

NATIONAL LEVEL

• However, in some good news, the overall sex ratio at the national level has increased by 7 points since the 2001 Census to reach 940 females per 1000 male at Census 2011.

HARYANA LOWEST DISTRICTS

•Haryana's Jhajjar (774 females) and Mahendragarh (778 females) districts have the lowest sex ratio

• Notably, Punjab and Haryana, which have traditionally seen low sex ratio, have recorded an increasing trend but still remained at the bottom of the list. Haryana has 830 female children and Punjab 846 against per 1000 male child.

• The recently released 2011 census data paints a grim picture of child sex ratio which has worsened to 914, the lowest since 1947. However, for the first time, female literacy has improved more than that of men, slowly bridging the gap

• While the overall sex ratio has improved to 940 as compared to 933 in 2001, the child (0-6 years) sex ratio, i.e. the number of girl children per 1,000 male children has shown an unabated decline since 1961. It has declined from 927 in 2001 to 914 in 2011. The latest figures are the lowest since 1947.

• Punjab and Haryana continue to have the lowest child sex ratios in the country at 846 and 830 respectively. Other states which reveal appalling figures include Uttar Pradesh (899, down from 916), Maharashtra (883, down from 913), Chandigarh (867, down from 845) and J&K (859). It is noteworthy that the so-called rich states of Maharashtra, Punjab and UT Chandigarh have some of the lowest child sex ratios in the country. This hints at the on-going rampant misuse of technology in those states. Sex-selective abortions or female foeticides are the primary cause of the decline.

• The skewed sex ratio in Punjab and Haryana could have wider and more permanent social effects like rise in exploitation of women, higher crime rate, an increase in sexual diseases and depression among youth. Sociologists and psychologists in Punjab and Haryana said if the sex ratio continues to drop it will lead to chaos in society

• Explaining the fallout of the decreasing sex ratio, Dr BP Mishra, psychologist in Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, said, "Less number of girls in society could cause fights among communities over marriages. When there are a lot of unmarried men around, it would also lead to prostitution and sexually transmitted diseases."

• Giving examples of consequences of skewed sex ratio, Kurukshetra-based psychiatrist Dr Rakesh Pal Sharma said, "There is a community in Kurukshetra where marriage is possible in 'exchange offer' only. If any boy in this community doesn't have sisters for an 'exchange marriage', his wedding is almost impossible. Such bachelor boys get into depression."

• "In the absence of a job, land, occupation and even marriage this section will opt for crime. Jobless youths will try to bring brides from outside the community and state. Such situation may lead to human trafficking on a large scale,"

• less girls means more crime. A further sense of insecurity in parents will lead to more female foeticide which will lead to further decline in sex ratio.

WORKING SINCE 1983

• JANWADI SANSKRITIK MANCH• HARYANA VIGYAN MANCH• GYAN VIGYAN JATHA• BHARAT GYAN VIGYAN SAMITI• NATIONAL SEMINAR ON FEMALE FOETICIDE• STUDY OF 6 VILLAGES REGARDING FF• EK NAI SURUAT JATHA IN 1999• ROUND ABOUT 700 Performances

TOTAL EFFECT ?????

• ALL INCLUSINE ENLIGHTENMENT MOVEMENT• IS THE WAY

• PATCH WORK WILL NOT WORK