Female foeticide in India

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Female foeticide in India is the abortion of a female foetus outside of legal channels. It occurs in India for
assumed cultural reasons that span centuries.
The frequency of female foeticide in India is assumed to be an estimation derived from its high birth sex ratio, that
is the ratio of boys to girls at birth. The natural ratio is assumed to be between 103 and 107, and any number
above it is considered as suggestive of female foeticide. According to the decennial Indian census, the sex ratio in
the 0 to 6 age group in India has risen from 102.4 males per 100 females in 1961, [1] to 104.2 in 1980, to 107.5 in
2001, to 108.9 in 2011.[2]
The child sex ratio is within the normal natural range in all eastern and southern states of India, [3] but significantly
higher in certain western and particularly northwestern states such as Maharashtra, Haryana, Jammu &
Kashmir (118, 120 and 116, as of 2011, respectively).[4] The western states of Maharashtra and Rajasthan 2011
census found a child sex ratio of 113, Gujarat at 112 and Uttar Pradesh at 111. [5]
The Indian census data suggests there is a positive correlation between abnormal sex ratio and better socioeconomic status and literacy. This may be connected to the dowry system in India where dowry deaths occur when
a girl is seen as a financial burden. Urban India has higher child sex ratio than rural India according to 1991, 2001
and 2011 Census data, implying higher prevalence of female foeticide in urban India. Similarly, child sex ratio
greater than 115 boys per 100 girls is found in regions where the predominant majority is Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or
Christian; furthermore "normal" child sex ratio of 104 to 106 boys per 100 girls are also found in regions where the
predominant majority is Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian. These data contradict any hypotheses that may suggest
that sex selection is an archaic practice which takes place among uneducated, poor sections or particular religion
of the Indian society.[4][6]
There is an ongoing debate as to whether these high sex ratios are only caused by female foeticide or some of the
higher ratio is explained by natural causes.[7] The Indian government has passed Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal
Diagnostic Techniques Act (PCPNDT) in 1994 to ban and punish prenatal sex screening and female foeticide. It is
currently illegal in India to determine or disclose sex of the foetus to anyone. However, there are concerns that
PCPNDT Act has been poorly enforced by authorities. [8]

Child marriage in India

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Child Marriage India by SDRC

Child marriage in India, according to the Indian law, is a marriage where either the woman is below age 18 or the
man is below age 21. Most child marriages involve underage women, many of whom are in poor socio-economic
conditions.
Child marriages were prevalent in India. Estimates vary widely between sources as to the extent and scale of child
marriages. The International Center for Research on Women-UNICEF publications have estimated India's child
marriage rate to be 47% from small sample surveys of 1998, [1] while the United Nations reports it to be 30% in
2005.[2] The Census of India has counted and reported married women by age, with proportion of females in child
marriage falling in each 10 year census period since 1981. In its 2001 census report, India stated zero married girls
below age 10, 1.4 million married girls out of 59.2 million girls aged 1014, and 11.3 million married girls out of 46.3
million girls aged 1519.[3] Since 2001, child marriage rates in India have fallen another 46%, reaching an overall
nationwide average 7% child marriage rates by 2009. [4] Jharkhand is the state with highest child marriage rates in
India (14.1%), while Kerala is the only state where child marriage rates have increased in recent years. [4][5] Rural
rates of child marriages were three times higher than urban India rates in 2009. [4]
Child marriage was outlawed in 1929, under Indian law. However, in the British colonial times, the legal minimum
age of marriage was set at 15 for girls and 18 for boys. Under protests from Muslim organizations in the undivided
British India, a personal law Shariat Act was passed in 1937 that allowed child marriages with consent from girl's
guardian.[6] After independence and adoption of Indian constitution in 1950, the child marriage act has undergone
several revisions. The minimum legal age for marriage, since 1978, has been 18 for women and 21 for men. [7] The
child marriage prevention laws have been challenged in Indian courts, [6] with some Muslim Indian organizations
seeking no minimum age and that the age matter be left to their personal law.[8][9] Child marriage is an active political
subject as well as a subject of continuing cases under review in the highest courts of India. [8]
Several states of India have introduced incentives to delay marriages. For example, the state
of Haryana introduced the so-called Apni Beti, Apna Dhan program in 1994, which translates to "My daughter, My
wealth". It is a conditional cash transferprogram dedicated to delaying young marriages by providing a government
paid bond in her name, payable to her parents, in the amount of 25,000 (US$370), after her 18th birthday if she is
not married.[10]