Interventions to Prevent Sex Selection Abortions and Female Infanticide

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Interventions to Prevent Sex Selection Abortions
and Female Infanticide

• Dr V Rukmini Rao
• Gramya Resource Centre for Women
  gramya.hyd_at_gmail.com

Presentation to The District Collector and
Officials, Nalgonda District, AP on 30.08.2011
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A Social Disaster in the making

• Sex ratio of girls has been declining drastically
  in AP
• 0-6 years age group , the sex ratio (female
  male) in Andhra Pradesh has declined from
• 976 in 1961
• 961 in 2001
• 943 in 2011
• Leads to a more violent society and is a
  reflection of the low status women. It leads to
  further devaluation of women, reflected in
  increased crisis against women such as buying
  brides

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Districts with Extremely low Sex Ratios
State/District Proportion of Child Population in the Age-Group of 0-6 to Total Population Proportion of Child Population in the Age-Group of 0-6 to Total Population Proportion of Child Population in the Age-Group of 0-6 to Total Population Proportion of Child Population in the Age-Group of 0-6 to Total Population Proportion of Child Population in the Age-Group of 0-6 to Total Population Proportion of Child Population in the Age-Group of 0-6 to Total Population Proportion of Child Population in the Age-Group of 0-6 to Total Population Proportion of Child Population in the Age-Group of 0-6 to Total Population
State/District P M F Sex Ratios P M F Sex Ratios
Mahbubnagar 15.58 15.74 15.42 952 12.42 12.7 12.13 932
Nalgonda 14.04 14.14 13.93 952 10.19 10.5 9.86 921
Warangal 13.95 14.08 13.81 955 9.21 9.61 8.81 912
Prakasam 12.73 12.83 12.62 955 10.62 10.89 10.35 932
Anantapur 13.18 13.17 13.19 959 10.46 10.73 10.18 927
Chitoor 12.96 13.14 12.78 955 10.15 10.52 9.78 931
YSR 919
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The Current problem
District Code State/District Proportion of Child Population in the Age-Group of 0-6 to Total Population Proportion of Child Population in the Age-Group of 0-6 to Total Population Proportion of Child Population in the Age-Group of 0-6 to Total Population Proportion of Child Population in the Age-Group of 0-6 to Total Population Proportion of Child Population in the Age-Group of 0-6 to Total Population Proportion of Child Population in the Age-Group of 0-6 to Total Population Proportion of Child Population in the Age-Group of 0-6 to Total Population Proportion of Child Population in the Age-Group of 0-6 to Total Population
District Code State/District P M F Sex Ratios P M F Sex Ratios
28 Andhra Pradesh 13.35 13.46 13.23 961 10.21 10.46 9.95 943
1 Adilabad 15.14 15.35 14.94 962 10.8 11.15 10.46 942
2 Nizamabad 14.39 14.81 13.96 959 10.51 11 10.03 946
3 Karimnagar 13.34 13.59 13.1 962 8.47 8.79 8.16 937
4 Medak 15.08 15.15 15 964 11.5 11.71 11.29 954
5 Hyderabad 12.69 12.63 12.76 943 10.46 10.48 10.44 938
6 Rangareddy 13.99 13.88 14.1 959 11.24 11.29 11.19 947
7 Mahbubnagar 15.58 15.74 15.42 952 12.42 12.7 12.13 932
8 Nalgonda 14.04 14.14 13.93 952 10.19 10.5 9.86 921
9 Warangal 13.95 14.08 13.81 955 9.21 9.61 8.81 912
10 Khammam 13.58 13.61 13.54 971 9.56 9.82 9.31 958
11 Srikakulam 13.24 13.56 12.94 967 9.83 10.14 9.53 953
12 Vizayanagaram 13.16 13.35 12.96 980 9.86 10.17 9.56 955
13 Vishakhapatnam 12.87 12.93 12.81 976 10.01 10.23 9.79 961
14 East Godavari 12.52 12.61 12.42 978 9.56 9.73 9.39 969
15 West Godavari 12.08 12.22 11.95 970 9.24 9.4 9.08 970
16 Krishna 11.91 11.99 11.82 963 8.98 9.18 8.78 953
17 Guntur 12.06 12.21 11.9 959 9.54 9.81 9.27 948
18 Prakasam 12.73 12.83 12.62 955 10.62 10.89 10.35 932
19 Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore 12.31 12.5 12.11 954 9.69 9.89 9.48 945
20 YSR 13.09 13.25 12.93 951 10.87 11.24 10.49 919
21 Kurnool 15.23 15.29 15.18 958 11.79 12.08 11.51 937
22 Anantapur 13.18 13.17 13.19 959 10.46 10.73 10.18 927
23 Chitoor 12.96 13.14 12.78 955 10.15 10.52 9.78 931
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The Law

• Female infanticide prohibited pre-independence by
  British rulers but little action taken
• In 1978, Government issued a directive banning
  the misuse of amniocentesis in Government
  Hospital Laboratories
• Maharashtra legislated PNDT Act 1988
• National legislation enacted. Pre-Natal
  Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention
  of Misuse) Act 1994 (came into force 1996)

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The Law

• An Act to provide for the prohibition of sex
  selection before or after conception and for
  regulation of pre-natal diagnostic techniques for
  the purposes of detecting abnormalities or
  metabolic disorders or chromosomal abnormalities
  or certain congenital malformations or sex-linked
  disorders and for the prevention of their misuse
  for sex determination leading to female foeticide
  and for matters connected therewith or incidental
  thereto.

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The Law

• All diagnostic/referral centres to be registered
• If the law is not followed, registration can be
  cancelled
• The law prohibits sex selection before or after
  conception and misuse of pre-natal diagnostic
  techniques for determination of sex of foetus
• Act also specifies punishment for advertisements
  promoting sex selection directly or indirectly

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Punishments

• Punishments for managements and other staff
  include
• Imprisonment from 3-5 years
• Fine from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1,00,000
• In case of doctors, suspension of the
  registration
• Removal of his/her name from the register of the
  medical council (so that they cannot practice)
• Husband/relative imprisonment upto 3 months and
  fine upto Rs 1000 or both (concerned woman not
  punished to the assumption of force used against
  her)

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Punishments-Contd..

• Cognizable This means that for such an offence
  the Police Officer may arrest without warrant
• Non-bailable This means that bail cannot be
  granted in such a case
• Non-Compoundable This means that the two parties
  to the case cannot settle the case and decide not
  to prosecute

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Who can Complain?

• Appropriate authority so designated
• Officer authorized by central/state government
• Any citizen who has given notice of at least 15
  days to the appropriate authority to make a
  complaint in court
• After 15 days can directly complain in court
• Every public spirited person can activate the law
  and seek assistance of lawyer/NGO/Group of
  persons can also complain
• The complaint need not be present on every date
  of hearing

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Policy Making Bodies to Supervise and enable
efficient implementation of the law

• Central supervisory boards
• State/Union Territory supervisory boards
• Appropriate authority may exercise following
  powers
• a. Summmoning of any person who is in possession
  of any information relating to violation of the
  provision of this Act or the rules made
  thereunder
• b. Production of any document or material object
  relating to Clause (a)
• c. Issuing search warrant for any place suspected
  to be indulging in sex selection techniques or
  pre-natal sex determination and any other matter
  prescribed

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Records to be maintained

• Names and addresses of men and women given
  genetic counseling/names of spouses/fathers
• Referral slips
• Date for procedure/counseling
• Case Records
• Forms of Consent
• Laboratory results
• Microscopic pictures
• Sonographic plates or slides
• Recommendations and letters

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Search and Seizure

• The law provides for search and seizure and power
  to
• Enter freely into the place of search
• Search at all reasonable times
• Examine and inspect all documents
• Forms
• Books
• Pamphlets
• Advertisements
• Material objects like sonographic plates or
  slides
• Equipment like ultrasonography machines, needles,
  foetoscope etc

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Strategies to Prevent Sex Selection Abortions

• Identify existing pre-natal genetic counselling
  /genetic clinic /genetic laboratory determining
  sex of the Foetus including Ultrasonography
• Already done by district administration (110
  machines in operations)
• AP has the advantage of active SHGs (15 women in
  a group) in every village and town use it and
• Attach the nearest Social Action Committee
  promoting gender equality to each clinic for
  regular follow up of pregnant women. (These women
  will be \/are trained by Gramya)

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Strategies to Prevent Sex Selection Abortions

• Provide training to group leaders about PC PNDT
  Act, 1994
• 110 clinics using ultrasound machines identified
• Identify two leaders in each 110 Social Action
  Committees closest to the clinic x 2 women
  leaders 220 (total)
• The women leaders will train their group
  internally

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Strategies to Prevent Sex Selection Abortions

• Gramya will support this process if funds are
  provided directly to the SHG leaders for
  training. Material/posters and food costs. This
  can be worked out
• One day training for a batch of 50 to 60 (4
  training programmes in total)
• Action Plan SHG leaders will visit the clinic
  once a week, collect the data regarding women
  screened
• Link with Health Department/District Advisory
  Committee?
• Regular follow up visits and counselling

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Strategies to Prevent Sex Selection Abortions

• Identify illegal centres and mobile units
  operational in the districts
• Information can be collected form SHG leaders and
  other sources

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Campaign

• Identify and develop Kala-jata (street theatre)
  to take the message to prevent infanticide
• Campaign to be carried out in all the towns where
  centres are operational and in a radius of 10 KMs
  
• Attach Mandal Samakya leaders to the Kala-jata to
  follow up programmes with community interaction
  and counselling to men and women
• Take up campaign to promote girl child rights in
  colleges and high schools, number to be selected
  each year
• Target Youth groups, young men

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Convergence with Integrated Child Development
Scheme (ICDS)

• Train ICDS Staff to counsel pregnant woman and
  her spouse to prevent infanticide
• Train ICDS staff to restore girl babies from the
  cradle to her own parents
• Ensure food support, clothing and health care to
  mother and child for 1 year according to the
  existing policy
• Child Development Programme Officer (CDPO) and
  staff to be commended for restoring girl child to
  parents

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Actions to be taken by Panchayats (local
governance bodies)

• Strict action against men / others who are
  pressuring women to give away or kill girl babies
• Leaders across political parties to be invited to
  discuss the problem and give the message to save
  girl baby to party cadre
• Awareness among youth groups with active
  participation of Sarpanch and ward members
• Panchayat to record all births and deaths
  compulsorily

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Actions to be taken by Panchayats

• Sex ratio to be monitored in each panchayat and
  six monthly data to be displayed at the panchayat
  and village/thanda level
• Well girl baby programmes to be promoted in all
  ICDS centers/panchayats
• Livelihood promotion in interior/urban areas for
  women in distress
• Tackle problem of Alcoholism (vigilance to be
  intensified) counseling men and referrals to
  detoxification centre
• Similar actions in urban wards

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Development Interventions(Issues related to
Girl Babies)

• Women with large families to receive direct
  support for food through ICDS/Mid day meal.
• All children to be covered
• Backward area grants can be utilized for this .
  SC/ST and other castes
• Vulnerable women already in SHG to be provided
• Special grants/interest free loans to start
  earning an incomes

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Education

• Support families with large number of girls, by
  enrolling older girls in government welfare
  hostels which indirectly provided economic
  support (free food, school uniforms and
  education)
• Scholarships for higher education

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Successful interventions in other countries and
states

• In China, strict action for sex selection
  abortions taken now
• Departments involved National Family Planning
  Commission, Ministry of Health, State Food and
  Drug Administration, Ministry of Public Security
  and other Government Agencies
• In 2005, 120 new born boys to 100 girls, 2010
  ratio is 118 males for 100 females in China
• South Korea, in 1990 sex ratio was 116.5 boys to
  100 girls now discrimination reduced to 107.4
  boys to 100 girls in 2010 (close to Biological
  norm)
• Employment opportunities increased dramatically
  creating work for women
• Political leaders providing inspiring slogans (to
  redress balance)
• One daughter raised well is worth 10 sons
• 6 out of 10 women in College

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Challenges

• Patriarchal Society is essentially anti women and
  girl child.
• Jhajjar district in Haryana recorded the lowest
  adult as well as child sex ratio, and within the
  district, Barhana and Dimana villages recorded
  the worst CSRs. Jhajjar, which has a high
  literacy rate of 80.8 per cent (71 per cent for
  females and 89.4 per cent for males), has the
  worst CSR 774 female children for every 1,000
  male children
• Himachal Pradesh Study highlights tubectomy
  after one male child, tubectomy after two male
  children preferred leading to reduction in birth
  of 20 of girls

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Challenges

• While Barhana had a CSR of 378 (at birth) in
  2010, Dimana was not much better, at 444
• Changes in law, policy and practice all needed.
• Long term problems due to current Government
  policies of liberalization and privatization. Now
  private and school education appears attractive
  resulting in sons being sent to school and girls
  put out to work.
• More than 90 of women in the economy work in
  informal economy with low skills, low pay and no
  job guarntees

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Recommendations

• Stop current cradle scheme, demand of womens
  movement because it devalues girls and women
• Special Support to 3rd 4th 5th girl child
• Strict implementation of recording mothers
  details in accordance with child rights
• Own identity culture language to be maintained
  and strengthened

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Contd

• All National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
  (NREGA, work for 100 days) work places to provide
  crèche facilities for children
• Mothers with infants to be provided appropriate
  work
• Influence Society for Elimination of Rural
  Poverty (SERP) to give additional livelihood
  support to women with large family / girl
  children
• Awareness creation in Judiciary to dispose
  womens cases on a fast track

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