Sex selective abortion rampant in Delhi, says study

New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS) Sex-selective abortion is rampant in Delhi, particularly in south Delhi, a survey by Centre for Social Research (CSR), an organisation working for women empowerment and welfare, revealed Wednesday.

“CSR took this survey in southwest Delhi where the problem is more pronounced. About 900 households were surveyed for over a year from Feb to Dec 2012. We found that most people still prefer sons than daughters, fearing dowry, security of a girl child and sharing of property,” Manasi Mishra, a CSR official said.

The event was part of the ‘Meri Shakti, Meri Beti’ (My Strength, My Daughter) campaign of CSR in collaboration with the German embassy to protect the girl child in Delhi.

According to CSR, the survey was done in south Delhi, which has one of the most dismal sex ratio figures in the capital. The areas surveyed where Vasant Kunj, R.K. Puram, Dwarka, Chattarpur, Sunder Nagar and Sangam Vihar areas.

“The illiterate, semi-literate and even highly educated respondents admitted that a son was preferred over a daughter because sons are the ones who carry the family name and lineage. There is no fear of dowry or share in property. It is becoming difficult to secure or maintain the chastity of a girl child,” the findings revealed.

The survey also said that the sex ratio is the worst in Vasant Vihar of south Delhi, where some of the city’s most affluent live.

According to the 2001 census report, the child sex ratio Delhi in the age group of 0-6 years was 868 per 1,000 boys. This figure dropped marginally to 866 in 2011.

“It is an utter shock. Laws should be made more stringent to check and curb sex-selective abortion. A collective force of medical fraternity, citizen partnership and stringent laws are needed. There has been no change in the mindset of a majority of the city’s population. The preference for a boy child will push Delhi on the brink of social and law and order challenges in the near future,” said Ranjana Kumari, director, CSR.

According to a UNICEF report, India has lost over one crore girls to abortions and infanticide since 2007 and there is a dramatic decline in the sex ratio.

IANS 2013-01-09 20:32:04