Wall Street Journal’s India Real Time blog reports on India’s 2011 census results and the nation’s continued preference for sons over daughters. Ravi Verma, who directs ICRW’s Asia Regional Office in New Delhi, is featured in the article.
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2 Comments
Government harasses complainants under the PNDT act
I am a complainant under the P.N.D.T act as my husband and in-laws wanted me to abort my daughters after a sex determination test done fraudulently on me. I filed many complaints with NCW and in fact met their chairperson personally too to help me . Till date I have not received any help from them. Not once they have tried to raise the issue. If they only want to speak in front of media , and not do any thing when a woman who is trying to fight the menace of female feticide alone, than their words mean nothing. Every government official has tried to persuade me from withdrawing my complaints against the doctor, hospital, and my husband and in-laws. In-fact one government official asked me to give my husband a son if that's what he desires and not to spoil my life by filling a complaint under the P.N.D.T act. Since past 3 years I have been fighting alone to save my daughters and the fight is not only against my husband and in laws but also against these very officials who in front of media talk big, but otherwise harass any woman who dares to speak out. Please visit www.mitukhurana.wordpress.com
Government sheilding accused guilty of female feticide
he cat is out of the bag. Everybody is expressing their shocks. I am not at all shocked. The sex ratios in the age group 0-6 years have dropped further. It was 927 females per 1000 males in 2001, and now it is down to 914 females per 1000 males.
This has brought the truth out in the open, a truth which I had been trying to shout over the rooftops but hardly anyone listened- the truth that government is not implementing the P.C-P.N.D.T act meant to check sex determination. Our esteemed Chief Minister Smt Sheila Dixitji had very proudly declared in 2008, that the sex ratios of Delhi have been reversed. She had very proudly stated that in 2008, there were 1004 girls born for every 1000 boys…. So where are those girls?
A study conducted had shown how the government of Delhi has even gone to the extent of violating the orders of Honorable Supreme Court in order to shield the guilty. Supreme Court of India in CEHAT Vs U.O.I (Centre For Enquiry Into Health And Allied Themes (C.E.H.A.T) & Ors V. Union Of India & Ors [2003] Rd-Sc 444 (10 September 2003), , had very clearly stated that any clinic found doing pre-natal tests without registration under the P.C-P.N.D.T act had to prosecuted in the court of law. A reply given to a R.T.I. application (copy with me) showed how our government authorities were letting of such clinics, and not filling any complaints.
Similarly the P.C-P.N.D.T act is very clear on the fact that if records are not being maintained properly it amounts to sex determination and the case has to be filed in the court of law. The burden is upon the doctor conducting the ultrasound to prove that he has not conducted sex determination. Various clinics in have been found not keeping records properly and no court cases have been filed against them.
When the accused under the act know that there will be no action against them, and the government is there to save them, then they will continue the illegal activities.
National Support and Monitoring Cell gave a five month (15th May -14th October 06) activity report in October 2006 after analyzing the implementation of the act in various states. They found that in Delhi there was no list of the 81 complaints/ prosecutions supposedly launched by the State Authorities. Court cases were supposedly launched only against 3 out of 35 unregistered establishments found during raids. There were no details available against the status of the cases in these 3 court cases also.
There were 46 more complaints in which the State Authorities were supposed to initiate action. Out of these 46, in 1 clinic registration has been canceled, in 1 clinic fine was imposed of Rs.15,000/- only. Court cases were launched against 19 cases, out of which 8 cases were later withdrawn at various stages. (source- Five Month Activity Report Of National Support And Monitoring Cell from 15th May -14th October 06 (mohfw.nic.in/.../NSMC/NSMC%20Activity%20Report_May-Oct%2006.pdf) So the questions which need to be answered are that why the government is expressing its shock when the sex ratios have dipped. The questions which need to be asked are who is responsible for the decline in the sex ratios. The big question is WILL BE ANSWERABLE TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS WHO WILL BEAR THE BRUNT OF OUR INACTION TODAY.