SOCIETY

Gujarat Patel community decides to fight female foeticide

     Surat (Gujarat): The people of the wealthy Patel community in Gujarat are anxious about the declining number of girls in their society. During a convention held in Surat, problems related to deterioration sex ratio was discussed. Over 10 lakh people, who gathered here for the convention, joined hands to positively work against the female foeticide. The participants took a vow to fight against the alarming sex-ratio prevailing at 761 girls to 1000 boys in the State. Patel community has a total population of 17 million people in Gujarat. A study by the Christian Medical Association released earlier this month suggest that foeticide was rampant even in the Capital, New Delhi, especially in families that already had girls in the family. Kishanbhai Patel, the organiser of the convention said, it was an effort to spread awareness at the grass root level. "This is a long term effort. The problem requires a change in social attitude and education of the young people. So we will have a two point of approach. One will be legal to request the Government that termination for sex should be banned and the other is to educate the people. "Parents of the husband should also be a party because they are the ones so many time forcing the woman to have an abortion, which is absolutely wrong. Second is education at the grass root level," Patel said. Despite the ban, the sex-determination industry thrives: many clinics offer ultrasound sex tests for as little as 500 rupees (11.50 dollars). Representatives from 150 other communities were also invited to the convention to take the message to their respective communities also. Anandiben Patel, State Education Minister said, "There will be a lot of awareness because this is a convention for the Patel community but we have also invited prominent people of the other community so that they take this issue to their respective communities and also organise such programmes," she said. Experts say the number of women dropped to 933 for every 1,000 men in 2001 from 941 in 1961, largely because of a long history of infanticide and, more recently, sex selective abortions. The ratio stood at 972 in 1901. The Government has been running a campaign highlighting the importance of the "girl child" in a society where baby girls are many a time abandoned. Sex determination tests are illegal but still prevailing in many rural parts of the country.
-Jan 3, 2006

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