2321-7871 Weekly Science Research Journal Vol-2, Issue-13, 9th Oct 2014

Impact Factor : 1.4210 (UIF) [ Yr.2013]

Original Article

Female Foeticide: Why Haryana Has

Lower Sex Ratio?

Meenu

ABSTRACT
Meenu
Female foeticide cases have been increasing from a decade in many states of
From
India. Advanced medical technologies, increasing number of crimes against
women, problem of security of women, financial burden on parents of Assistant Professor in Public
daughters are some of the reasons responsible for female foeticides. But the Administration, Shah Satnam Ji Girls
problem become worse when the balance of sex ratio get disturbed as nature College, Sirsa. Haryana.
has made both sexes equally important for the survival of civilisation. In
Haryana, the sex ratio is lowest as compared to neighbouring states except
Punjab. What are the serious reasons behind declining sex ratio in Haryana
and what steps should be taken and by whom, have been briefed in this paper.

Keywords:
Article Is Published On October 2014
Female Foeticide , Lower Sex Ratio , medical technologies , civilisation.
Issue & Available At
www.weeklyscience.org
Introduction:
DOI : 10.9780/ 2321-7871/1202013/53
Female foeticide is big problem as it is posing a threat to women
existence. The number of cases of female foeticides has been increasing in
northern and southern states of India. Fast changing technologies in the
medical field has provided ultrasound diagnostic methods to identify the
gender of the foetus in the women, leading to large scale female foeticide.
Five to seven lakh girls a year or two thousand girls a day go missing in
India due to female foeticide. Ten million girls have been missing in India over
the past two decades because of sex-selection. Mainly after two world wars the
number of female foeticides has been at alarming speed. According to official
record it has estimated that in India every day 7000 female foeticides take
place1.
Female foeticide means a girl is killed before she is born as the sex of
the foetus is determined and doctors are involved in first determining the sex of
unborn baby and then carrying out abortion. Female foeticide is crime under
pre natal diagnostic technique (regulation and prevention of misuse) 1994 Act,
the section 307 IPC of attempt of murder, and crime of abetment of murder.

Laws Against Female Foeticides In India

Mtp Act

The maternal termination of pregnancy act was come in to existence in

1971. This was the first law to regulate the termination of pregnancy.
According to this law, if the pregnancy involves a risk to life of pregnant women
in that case she can go for abortion.

PNDT Act

The pre-conception and pre-natal diagnostic technique (prohibition of

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Female Foeticide: Why Haryana Has Lower Sex Ratio?

sex selection) Act was brought in to force in 1994, to prevent misuse of technologies like
ultrasound that enable testing the sex of an unborn child.
The Maharashtra government enacted the Maharashtra regulation of pre-natal
diagonistic technique Act 1988, the first anti sex determination drive in the country .This
was followed by a similar Act in Punjab in May 1994.
This act carrying a three years imprisonment and Rs 10,000 fine for offender, but
the actual implementation of law took place in1997.
Since the advent of ultrasound and detection technique for the sex determination
10 million female foetuses have been aborted in India. According to a study, every year
about 50,000 unborn girls, one in every 25 are aborted. According to the UNICEF, 40 to 80
million girls have gone missing from Indian population since 1991. As per census 2001, the
child ratio in Punjab is 793 girls to 1000 boys. This is the lowest child ratio in the country2.
India tops the list as far as illegal abortions and female foeticides are concerned
Knowing that it is immoral and unethical as well as it may amount to an offence, foetus of a
girl child is aborted by qualified and unqualified doctors or compounders. This has affected
overall sex ratio in various states.
The situation is particularly bad in the agriculturally developed and high per
capital income states like Haryana and Punjab. According to UNICEF study there are only
five states where no case of female foeticide or infanticide have been reported in 1994 to
1996, 3 years, these states are Sikkim, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Jammu and
Kashmir.

Female Foeticide: Situation In Haryana

Through these strict laws are under implementation the government and
administration is unable to control female foeticides. The situation has worsened since
1991, particularly in the 0-6 age group. All districts in Haryana except two, record a child
sex ratio of less than 850 girls to 1000 boys. District Kurukshetra has least sex ratio of 770
girls to 1000 boys.

Year sex ratio (India) sex ratio (Haryana)

2004-2006 892/1000 788/1000
2006-2008 904/1000 793/1000
2008-2010 927/1000 819/1000
2010 933/1000 824/1000

The above figures show that though the sex ratio in Haryana has been increasing
from 2004 but the sex ratio in Haryana is lower than the national sex ratio.

Number Of Cases Registered Under Pndt Act

The law has not been properly implemented by the administration and there is lack
of will on the part of political leaders as the figures below show that number of cases
registered under the PNDT Act are low at national level and in Haryana as compared to
number of female foeticides cases in the country and in the state.

Year Number of cases

India Haryana
2007 416 ...
2009 123 15
2010 107 23

In 2009, 114 ultrasound machines have been seized in Haryana and in January
2011 registration of 245 ultrasound centres has been cancelled.

Efforts By Haryana Government

Sarpanchs from 23 villages in Haryana, where birth rate of girls was more than boys
were especially honoured on January 13th on occasion of Lohri festival.
A special economic benefit for the single girl parents, Ladli yojana, is being

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Female Foeticide: Why Haryana Has Lower Sex Ratio?

implemented by the state government.

Reasons For The Lower Sex Ratio In Haryana

1.Dowry system: As Haryana is economically stronger than other states, per capital income
of the people is more so there is more demands of dowry.
2.Crimes against females: In Haryana crimes cases against females are more and
administration is not able to put control on such incidences in last few years.
3.Lack of political will: The state and local governments had lack of will to take serious steps
to control female foeticide, only after reaching at alarming state, government has now
taking serious steps.
4.Small family norms: For the sake of small families also parents do not want more
daughters, abortion of female foetus preferred.
5.Problem of security of girls: As girls are more prone to crimes, problem security of girls is
also a main problem of parents.
6.Traditional thought: Females only cause burden on parents may it be financial, social,
emotional and mental.

Suggestions

1.The Pre-natal diagnostic technique Act (PNDT) should be implemented strictly and local
government should also play a supervisory role in it.
2.Awareness about declining sex ratio and towards the problems of less number of girls,
should created by the local government with help of anganwaries workers, self help groups,
mahila mandals and NGOs.
3.Media can also play important role in creating awareness about PNDT Act and female
foeticide.
4.The welfare programmes for women and girl child should be properly implemented to
raise the standard of women in the society.
5.Refresher course for the doctors to follow PNDT Act and ethical standards in their
practices.

Conclusion

It is the responsibility of civil society and state government to control unethical

practices in the society. The state government has the responsibility of implementation of
law and the civil society has to co-operate the government in the implementation of law. It is
the matter of we people whether we want to give birth to our daughter or not.

References

1.Female foeticide blot on India story, 24 January 2011, by IANS.

2.Female foeticide in India, 25 April, 2009, social work for mankind.

Meenu
Assistant Professor in Public Administration, Shah Satnam Ji Girls College, Sirsa. Haryana.

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