India baby girl deaths 'increase'

India baby girl deaths 'increase'

The number of girls born and surviving in India has hit an all time low compared to boys, ActionAid says.

A report by the UK charity says increasing numbers of female foetuses were being aborted and baby girls deliberately neglected and left to die.

In one site in the Punjab state, there are just 300 girls to every 1,000 boys among higher caste families, it says.

ActionAid says India faces a "bleak" future if it does not end its practice of cultural preference for boys.

Girls 'condemned'

ActionAid teamed up with Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to produce the Disappearing Daughters report.

More than 6,000 households in sites across five states in north-western India were interviewed and statistical comparisons were made with national census date.

Under "normal" circumstances, there should be about 950 girls for every 1,000 boys, the charity said.

But it said that in three of the five sites, that number was below 800.

In four of the five sites surveyed, the proportion of girls to boys had declined since a 2001 census, the report said.

The research also found that ratios of girls to boys were declining fastest in comparatively prosperous urban areas.

ActionAid suggested the increasing use of ultrasound technology may be a factor in the trend.

The document says that Indian woman are put under intense pressure to produce sons, in a culture that predominantly views girls as a burden rather than an asset.

It says many families now use ultrasound scans and abort female foetuses, despite the existence of the 1994 law banning gender selection and selective abortion...

This is so sad!

Wow, how sad that is...

very sad that this is still the case in the year 2008

The other day I watched a documentary of this little girl who was born with 8 limbs. The people in the village saw her as the goddess who also has 8 limbs. Two legs and two arms were going to be for her twin that never formed completely.

The indian doctor went to see her (the girl was famous) and told the parents that if they were willing the doctors could do an operation free of charge and be able to fix her. So the villagers, some were getting upset because they believed this little girl was the goddess and they would venerate her, etc...
The parents made the right decision in getting the operation done. They thought of her future... sure they can care for her now, but what about when she gets older? she will suffer greatly while people stare at her.

The doctor stopped at this other house where there were two girls joined in the head. The same operation offer was given to the father of those girls but he refused. Do you know why? Because he's making money off of his daughters. He said people come from all places to come and look at the twins and they pay big bucks to photograph them. The girls, were asked if they wanted to be separeted and ofcourse they said yes. But it is so awful seeing the father not valuing their lives.... all he cares about is the money.

That is very sad, Carol. I couldn't imagine a father holding his own greed over his own children's happiness. By the time they would be old enough to make the decision themselves, I imagine it would be too late.