Bias Against Girl Child

Dr Vibhuti Patel, Reader,

Centre for Women’s Studies ,
Department of Economics,
Univesity of Mumbai, Kalina,
Santacruz(E), Mumbai-400098.
Phone-26527956,57,Ext.553,
Resi-26770227 Fax- 26528198
E mail- vibhuti@vsnl.net
Member Secretary, Women Development Cell
University of Mumbai
 Girl Child- Lara Jesani
Some one in the crowd of a hundred, there is a battered girl
Someone in the crowd of a hundred is a widely relishing boy
Even if you don't believe this theory You are supposed to know,
Every second of an hour A girl is battered sore. 
Some girls in crowd of hundred Are killed as soon as they are born
No one cares for their future For their lives are only torn.
You might not believe me surely You might as well be informed
A boy is given more importance Than a girl when they are born.
One girl in crowd of a hundred Is respected when she is at birth
You don't need to believe what I say But you must surely be
shown
How for a ninety nine girls The future of one boy is glown 
One girl in the crowd of a hundred Is not a victim of this injustice
But all in the crowd of a hundred The honour of girls in all ways
 Statistical Profile of
girl Children
• According to SRS, in 1997, girls
constituted 35.4 % of total female
population i.e. our country has more than
1/3 of total female population in the age
group of 0-14 years.
• From 1951 to 2001, Life expectancy at
birth for Indian girls has improved, both in
terms of absolute years and in terms of
percentages .
 UNICEF Report, 2004
State of World Children
65 million girls are out of school globally. Nearly
1/10 of them are in India.
Health challenges concerning a girl child cover
mortality, morbidity, nutritional status and
reproductive health and linked to these are
environmental degradations, violence and
occupational hazards, all of which have
implications for her health status. It is intricately
related to the socio-economic status of the
households to which she belongs.
 Intra-household Distribution of
Care & Workload
There is data to show that in a situation of
extreme food and scarcity, the adverse
effect on the nutritional status of girls is
greater than on boys. Girls in the 13 to 16
years of age group consume less food than
boys.
However, in the intra-household distribution
of labour, girls shoulder the major burden
of economic, procreative and family
responsibilities.
 Competing Demands
Due to the competing demands on their
time and energy as well as their
socialization, girls tend to neglect their
health. The lesser access to food coupled
with neglect invariably leads to a poor
nutritional status and a state of ill health
for most of the girls. Changing
determinants in the survival struggles of
girls have created an alarming situation .
Mortality Rate of Girl Children
• NFHS, 2000 states Child mortality in
the 0-4 age group is 43 per cent higher
for females (at 42 per 1000) than for
males (29 per 1000).

• The 2004 UNICEF Report says that of the

12 million girls born in India every year, 3
million do not survive beyond the age of 15.
 Teenage Pregnancy and
Child-marriage
• Many girl already in poor health, marry between
the ages of 14 - 16. They bear children while still
young and malnourished themselves. An upswing
of female deaths in the age group 15-19 years
indicates the high mortality rate of teenage
mothers.
• Nearly 45 % of Indian girls are married off before
they attain majority. Child marriages and teenage
pregnancy with and outside marriage are the major
problems faced by girls in the developing world
 Reasons for Death of Girls
Pneumonia, Non Pregnancy Anaemia
and Gastroenteritis take heavy toll of
female infants in the age group of 0-4
years.
While in 5-14 age group of girls, the death
rate in percentage terms reduces
drastically, still 9.5 % deaths due to
Pneumonia and 15.8 % deaths due to
Gastroenteritis demand immediate
intervention.
 Malnutrition Among Girls
• Studies conducted in three metropolitan cities
- Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras, indicate that
a significantly higher proportion of girls
compared to boys fall into grade II and III
malnutrition.

• The cumulative effect of poverty, under

nourishment and neglect is reflected by their
poor body size/ growth and narrow pelvis as
they grow into adolescence, making child
bearing a risk
 Abortion Among Adolescent Girls
•Adolescent girls account for more than their share of
•
abortion related complications and deaths. Unwed
pregnant girls (victims of rape, incest or seduction),
turn to abortion, whether or not it is legal.
•Faced with unintended pregnancy, they take desperate
measure resulting into health risks of unsafe abortions
such as sepsis caused by unsanitary instruments or
incomplete abortion, haemorrhage, injuries to genital
organs such as cervical laceration and uterine
perforation and toxic reactions to chemicals or drugs
used to induce abortion.
 Education of Girl Children
• Early child bearing in the rural and tribal
areas has been responsible for high drop
out rate among girls in the high schools.
• Only 2 % of girls manage to reach
institutions of higher learning.
• SAP with its accent on privatisation of
education has proved extremely
detrimental for education of girl children.
 IMPLICATIONS OF VIOLENCE
AGAINST GIRLS:

• Domestic violence in parental and matrimonial home,

battering, physical tears, death due to bleeding, rape,
sexual harassment at home, workplace and public
places, eve teasing, kidnapping and abduction,
prostitution mental health issues- autism, sexual
assault, molestation, rape, child sexual abuse,
nuisance calls cause psychological disturbances
among girls and women throw major health burden
on girls.

• The trauma of sexual violence sparks off tension and

anxiety at a dangerous level.
 Mental Health Issues
• Domestic violence in parental and matrimonial
home, battering, physical tears, death due to
bleeding, rape, sexual harassment at home,
workplace and public places, eve teasing,
kidnapping and abduction, prostitution, sexual
assault, molestation, rape, child sexual abuse,
nuisance calls cause psychological disturbances
among girls and women and throw major health
burden on girls.

• The trauma of sexual violence sparks off tension

and anxiety at a dangerous level.
 Experiences of Women’s
Groups
• Women counsellors working with girls have
conveyed that their mental health problems are
manifested in anxiety, fear, avoidance, guilt,
loss of efficiency, lack of coordination,
depression, sexual dysfunction, substance
abuse, relieving the traumatic incidents through
memory, suicidal attempts, eating disorders,
disturbed sleep patterns, fear of encountering
such situation once again. It is found that girls
who undergo extreme sexual violence
experience a loss of self and self-esteem
following the shock inflicted on them.
 Crimes Against Girls
Incidents of child rape and abandonment have
increased. Major problem in cases of crimes
against girls is that of underreporting. Over and
above Crimes Against Girl Child Punishable
Under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), there are also
special and local laws to prevent child labour,
child marriage and immoral traffic prevention.
Pre Natal Diagnostic Technique (PNDT) Act
1994 has not been able to reduce sex-selective
abortion of female foetuses. In response to
CEHAT petition in the Supreme Court of
India, the central and State governments are
activating state machinery to book culprits.
 HIV, AIDS & STDs
• STD pathogens can more easily penetrate the cervical
mucus of girl than that of older women. The cervix of
a girl is more susceptible to gonorrhoeal and
chlamydeous infection as well as to the sexually
transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV), which
causes cervical cancer. They may be even more
reluctant than adults to seek treatment for STDs .
Also, they may not know that they have a disease.
• They may be too embarrassed to go to a clinic, have
no access to a clinic, or be unable to afford services.
They are instead taken to unqualified traditional
healers or obtain antibiotics from pharmacies or drug
hawkers without proper diagnosis.
 Girl Child Labourer
• In 1986-87, 32.6 % of rural and 29.4 % of urban
girls were never enrolled in schools due to paid
and unpaid work they had to do in homes, fields,
factories, plantations and in the informal sector.

• The child labour policies, however, do not spell

out anything specific to girl child workers. There
is no implementation of prohibition of girls
working in hazardous occupations as per Child
Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986
 Absence of Legal Safety Net
• The child labour policies, however, do not
spell out anything specific to girl child
workers.

• There is no implementation of prohibition

of girls working in hazardous occupations
as per Child Labour (Prohibition and
Regulation) Act, 1986
 Role of the UN System-ILO, UNICEF

•International Labour Organisation

• Standardisation of work hours
•Child labour prevention
•Occupational health and Safety
•Compensation for displaced population
•Girls in difficult circumstances
•Sexual abuse of girls
 Declaration of SAARC decade
of Girl Child (1990-2000 A.D. )
Declaration of SAARC has highlighted 3 main
areas for strategic intervention to improve
quality of life for girls. They are :
• survival and protection of the girl child
and safe motherhood,
• overall development of the girl
child and
• special protection for vulnerable girl
children in difficult circumstances and
belonging to special groups.
 Women’s Movement Demands
Juvenile Justice (care and Protection of
Children) Act
-Integrated Child Development Scheme
-Establishment of Childline Service, a 24 hour
phone service for girl children on the streets for
proper counselling and information about shelter
homes, NGOs, hospitals.
Special emphasis on girl’s education
-National Commission for Children, special
mandate for girls.
 Current Concerns
National Nutrition Mission to provide
supplements to adolescent girls and
expectant mothers
-Special scheme to target quality of life of
adolescent girls
Policy on HIV/AIDS keeping pace with
new forms of sexual exploitation of girls,
child abuse, proliferation of drugs and
trafficking of children .
Daughter is not for slaughter
Let the girls bloom
Thank You