Terrorism against the girl child

Rahul Sharma

Since, fours decades, we the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the crown holders of special status, are fighting against cross border terrorism. We are still struggling in order to ensure peace. But Census Report 2011, left us with some ponderable questions viz Is it the peace, that we really wish? or Are we creating a the state of "graveyard silence", for ourselves? For a man of ordinary prudence the later deserves the answer and our ill fate as well. Census Report 2011 is a coup de grace for us as presently, it evidences the terror against the girl child. Alas! We have started engineering a "female-free-state", a state in which "scissor of abortion" is even mightier than AK-47.

Preference for a male child has listed "J&K" in one of the three major states that showed decline in sex ratio in comparison to census report of 2001.As per census report of 2011 child sex-ratio (0-6 years) in J&K is aghast 859 i.e. 82 fewer to 941 of 2001. Reasons are manifold but victim is female.

The avalanche of social evils triggered the rapid oust of a particular sex from the society. To begin with dowry, the evil even post six decades of independence is persisting unabatedly and still satiating the incessant lust of materialism. Dowry has strengthened the status of daughter as an "economic burden". Dowry Prohibition Act, a toothless tiger, has changed nothing rather the word "dowry" is synonymised by the word "gifts", keeping the liability status of the daughter intact. Moreover in the present patriarchal society daughter is reared with a limited objective i.e. just to keep her stayed in her matrimonial home. Compromise becomes generality for her life, with freedom and liberty as exceptions.

Safe and secure environment for women is also a matter of great concern in present male dominating society. Discussion augments and ends with an open question, whether present social environment is congenial enough for the upbringing of a girl child? The answer may maximise towards negation. Domestic violence, sexual harassment against women at work places, eve teasing etc. created an embargo in the individualistic development of women. Apart from economic burden, daughters are still considered as social liability, their chastity & honour, timely marriages are vital matters of family concern. Underneath evils like incest and child abuse are contributors inter alia social problems.

Adverse side of the science in order to exploit economic gains from the social evils, abetted at its level best to achieve present gender imbalance. Hippocratic Oath that…I will not give a pessary (historic use) to a woman to cause abortion… became utopian concept in front of capital greed. Advancement in science and technology facilitated female foeticide. Mushrooming diagnostic centres, ultrasound clinics are making money out of the social-economic imbalance. Methods like amniocentesis, chronic villus sampling, ultra-sonography benefitted families ,both by keeping them free from a future liability and by saving them from infanticide.

Contextually, Preconception and Prenatal Sex Selection (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 2002(PPSSA),is there to prohibit sex determination tests but what medical practitioners cannot do directly are doing it indirectly e.g it is reported that instead of actively revealing the sex of foetus ,they inform the families through signs. The most prevalent practice was that if doctor comes with red pen or article, one should link it with presence of unfortunate probability. Such type of techniques and practices altered the demographic profile of the state. Amid such a pandemonium of gender biasness nurturing of female by a female becomes a practical rarity. In the words of Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, all these gender centric evils in a way affected/affecting … the agency aspect of women... i.e. if we consider women as an agency, any impact on women, be it by the way of female mortality (female foeticide/infanticide) would definitely effect the social structure of the society. Herein the demography of the state is at stake by inward graph of female ratio. Even, on 10-09-2003, Supreme Court of India in the case of CEHAT vs. Union of India directed all State Governments/UT Administrations …to create public awareness against the practice of pre-natal determination of sex and female foeticide through advertisement in the print and electronic media by hoarding and other appropriate means. Had PPSSA and the directions of Supreme Court been implemented in a proper way situation would not be so alarming.

Ironically, people applied their self-centred approach for an economically favourable future and welcomed a future in which same -sex relations and polyandry may become compulsion.

Albeit stringent laws shall be made in order to curb such a stringent situation. The problem may be dealt with, if a three tier mechanism is developed wherein Government, Social groups (NGOs/Institutions), and individuals (herein natives of state), work and perform in toto for the same cause. To elaborate, firstly; state government should strengthen the system by two ways-(a) by amending the existing Preconception and Prenatal Sex Selection (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 2002 to make it more stringent and later by ensuring its implementation with all vigour and zeal. (b) affirmative action i.e.by providing incentives/benefits ,to the family of girl child, girl-child-beneficial schemes. Such kind of approach can be finalised after the comparative analysis of similar models working in different states (initiatives of Haryana & Rajasthan govts. may be taken into consideration).Secondly, proactive role social groups can play a significant role in awaring the people of the ill effects of degrading gender ratio. Sensitization programmes may be conducted in an organised way so that both village & urban population can come under one awareness ambit. Lastly, each individual, being a basic unit of society, shall take individual responsibility and mark his/her contributory stand amid this debacle.

Role of individual can only be expected if one's rationality can be delinked from the influence of religion. Gender stereotypes, certainly the outcome of religion, that son advances the patriarchal lineage (vansha), son gives old age parental care, son lights parent's funeral pyre, and primogeniture, women shall remain veiled etc., left a male-biased society before us. When these orthodoxies couple with other epidemic social evils, acceptance/recognition of daughter in the society becomes the first causality. Before giving blessings like putra vati bhava,the so called propounders/interpretators of religion shall foresee the revival of Mahabaratha with the presence of Panchali(distinct example of polyandry). Whatever may be the future, one thing is certain that female will be a sure victim unless our religious interpretations take an unbiased fresh revision and religious psyche of people is redeveloped. A sincere immediate action should be our utmost priority, so that "devies" shall remain protected in the land of Mata Vaishno Devi, both in terms of their number and rights.

(The author is a practicing Advocate in the Supreme Court of India.)

(Courtesy : www.dailyexcelsior.com)