Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Le gouvernement vient au secours des filles “non-voulues”

Alarmé par un sex-ratio sans cesse décroissant, le gouvernement prend des mesures pour que les bébés filles aient au moins la chance de rester en vie. En mettant des crèches dans les districts où les parents peuvent abandonner leurs filles—au lieu de les tuer, le gouvernement veut s’assurer que dans l’avenir il y ait assez de filles pour maintenir la parité homme-femme.

To fight foeticide govt will ‘cradle’ unwanted girls—Times of India, Monday, February 19, 2007

Alarmed by a declining sex ratio due to female foeticide and infanticide, government has an offer to make to parents who extinguish a new life—a “palna”, or cradle, in every district where girl children can be left to the care of official agencies.

For parents who don’t want to raise a girl child, the message is loud and clear—don’t kill your daughter; the government will raise her. The Centre seems to feel that the palna scheme, which is bound to attract its share of critics, will prove effective in checking the inhuman trend.

The scheme, to be implemented by the ministry of women and child development in coordination with state governments, is likely to be put in place during the 11th Five-Year Plan as part of measures to fight the menace of female foeticide.

“We want to put a cradle or ‘palna’ in every district headquarters. What we are saying to the people is have your children, don’t kill them. And if you don’t want a girl child, leave her to us,” minister of state of women and child development Renuka Chowdhury told a news agency. “We will bring up the children. But don’t kill them because there really is a crisis situation,” she said.

Asked if the scheme would not encourage families to abandon their girl children, Chowdhury said, “it doesn’t matter. It is better than killing them.”

Minister of state for women and child development Renuka Chowdhury said parents, even if they have abandoned their daughters, are likely to have a change of heart later.

Chowdhuury said through the cradle scheme, government would at least ensure that the gene pool is maintained. “We do not have enough girls. As it is, states are importing girls from here and there,” she said.

The sex ratio in the country has been recorded at as low as 933 females per 1000 males in the 2001 census. Northern states fare the worst, with national capital Delhi having the lowest sex ratio at 821.

1 comment:

Pradeep Nair said...

Your blog looks much better now...

By the way, was it a coincidence that Renuka Chowdhury's announcement to adopt unwanted girl children came just a week after your posting girl children being a curse in some societies?!!