For years, the Indian census has shown a marked difference between the number of males and females. It has been common wisdom in Indian society that a son should be preferred because he provides for financial and emotional support to the family, especially when the parents get old. Another idea which has been cultivated is that a son adds to the wealth and property of a family while daughters drain out the same. India’s skewed sex ratio is a consequence of this discrimination. In a country where females are worshipped in the form of idols, considering daughters a burden is paradoxical.
Following the Census of 1991, a rapid decline in sex ratio due to pre-natal abortion of girl children was reported. To check this issue of illegal termination following pre-natal sex determination and misuse of technology, the Parliament enforced a special act in 1994. In accordance to various directions issued by the Supreme Court, the Parliament further amended the act in 2003, which is now called The Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act (PCPNDT Act). According to this Act, genetic clinics are banned from directly or indirectly revealing the gender of the foetus. Only genetic abnormalities or sex-linked diseases are to be revealed. Although the rules and regulations of the act are sharply in place, a decline in the sex ratio was again observed in the 2011 Census. As per the 2011 Census reports, the child sex ratio in India declined to 919 females per 1,000 males, which is the lowest since Independence.
On the occasion of the 68th Independence Day on 15th August 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech emphasized the critical issues of female infanticide, protection of the girl child and the declining sex ratio in the country. On 22nd January 2015, PM Modi’s extensive vision led to the launch of the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ scheme. During the launch of this campaign, PM Modi said that “for every 1,000 boys born, 1,000 girls should be born”. The Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Scheme (BBBPS) is a Government of India campaign that aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of services intended for girls in India. The vision of BBBPS is to promote social and economic empowerment of women and create an environment free from violence and discrimination against women.
Yet, PM Modi’s native land of Gujarat seems to be moving rearward with regard to the Beti Bachao campaign. The city of Surat, known as the diamond city all across the globe, tops the list of all cities in India for the widespread misuse of pre-natal diagnostic tools to determine foetal sex. The literacy rate in Surat is exceptionally high (87.89%) – in fact, it is the highest among all districts of the state. Normally, according to the principle of population, wherever there is an increase in literacy rates, a rise in the child sex ratio (number of females born per 1000 males born) is evident. However, the contrary is seen in Surat. The child sex ratio in Surat, according to the 1991 Census, was 944, which declined to 871 during the 2001 Census and further declined to 835 during Census 2011. This decline in female births directly points towards the exploitation of modern science and technology for pre-natal sex determination and selective abortion of a female child. Ironically, Surat is also among the other cities of Gujarat which worship and celebrate Goddess Amba during the nine days of Navratri in full swing.
Surat is now steadily emerging as the IVF (in-vitro fertilization) hub of India. At present, a large number of cases have been registered against such centres in Surat for the illegal usage of technology under the PCPNDT Act. Out of the 17 cases decided so far, only two have found people guilty, while the others have been either acquitted or dismissed and no appeals have been lodged by authorities. This clearly is in violation of Rule 18 (A) of the said Act, which also mandates appropriate authority to file appeals immediately. It is a matter of pity that some of these clinics are making a fortune out of the ruthless killing of unborn girl children and hiding their misdeeds by organizing activities under the banner of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao mission.
In-vitro fertilization(IVF), pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and pre-implantation genetic screening technologies, if misused, pose a challenge to PM Modi’s Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme and his vision of ‘1,000 girls born per 1,000 boys born’. With the rise in the number of IVF centers and genetic clinics, the inclination of Indian society towards having a male child also seems to be on a rise. As per data released by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) for 150 countries over 40 years, India and China are the only two countries in the world where female infant mortality is higher than male infant mortality. The data shows that an Indian girl child aged 1-5 years is 75% more likely to die than an India boy, making this the worst gender differential in child mortality for any country in the world.
In a world where women represent over 40% of the global labor force, 43% of the world’s agricultural force and more than half of the world’s university students, a declining sex ratio in India is worrisome. The declining sex ratio in India is a silent emergency which needs to be brought to light. The persistence of this crisis presents serious implications on the future of society as well as humankind. This is happening despite legal provisions, government schemes and social media messages. The artificial alteration of the demographic landscape has adverse effects on not only gender justice and inequality but also on overall social progress.
Decades of policy efforts have not achieved any positive change with regard to the preference for sons. In fact, the declining sex ratio indicates that the situation is worsening. Many families in India continue to consider boys as an asset and girls as a liability. It is equally important to address the parental motivation than to just reduce sex-selective abortions. Female foeticide and excess female mortality are important manifestations of the preference for sons, but so is discrimination against living girls. Besides the misuse of technology, patriarchy in India has translated its prejudice and bigotry into a compulsive preference for boys and discrimination against the girl child.