Theni gives birth to a female revolution
From the Times of India, 25th July 2011
From the Times of India, 25th July 2011
Theni gives birth to a female revolution
Once Infamous For Female Foeticide, The District Surprises With Improved Child Sex Ratio
Theni: The district of Theni, a backward area in southern Tamil Nadu, has sprung a surprise in the 2011 Census with a significant improvement in the child sex ratio (CSR) index. For a district, which has recorded several cases of female foeticide and infanticide, the CSR has increased from 891 in 2001 to 937 in 2011.
The concerted efforts of health officials and the police besides the intervention of NGOs are cited as the reason for the increase. “There are about 10 NGOs working vigorously in the district to prevent female infanticide and foeticide. Our thrust is on prenatal and postnatal care with sustained followup on cases that we suspect will result in infanticide or foeticide. Our vigil will be more, especially on women who already have female children, and are admitted in primary health centres (PHC) for delivery,’’ said V R Vanaja, programme director of Development Action Consortium Trust, a forum of nine NGOs.
Vanaja said that during a recent visit to various villages in five of the nine blocks in the district, they found a visible increase in the number of female children. “Number of girls among newborns was particularly more. For instance, in Kandamanur panchayat, the number of female children in the age group of 0–5 years was 302 compared to 216 males.
The child sex ratio was the highest in Kandamanur accounting for about 1,400 girls for every 1,000 boys. In Ernampatti, there were 77 boys, while girls numbered 103. In neighbouring Rayappanpatti, we found 323 girls compared to 247 boys,’’ Vanaja said.
The overall sex ratio has also witnessed a steep increase from 978 in 2001 to 990 in 2011.
Theni collector K S Palanisami said the rise in child sex ratio was a combined effect of various factors. “Educational campaigns organised by various forums that created a mass awareness was one of the main reasons. Economic self-dependence of women has helped eliminate the notion that girl children are a burden. Besides, we insist only on institutional deliveries that help easy surveillance of newborns,” he said.
Theni, along with Salem, Dharmapuri, Dindigul and parts of Madurai district, gained notoriety for female infanticide two decades ago. Though the practice was put to an end after the state government introduced the cradle baby scheme in 1992, several cases of female infanticide were reported from these areas. In 2000, as many as 199 cases of female infanticide were reported from Theni district