Not A Single Girl Born In 16 Villages In Uttarkashi In Uttarakhand 

Written by Surya Sathya Narayanan  • 

For several years now, it has been a common emotion to consider girl children as unwanted. And, the concepts of female feticide and infanticide have been so familiar to Indians. The idea ties with the age-old belief that having a girl child in the house is a financial burden on the family. However, over the last several years, women have proven themselves with a long list of achievements and accomplishments. And, the year 2019 itself has been lit with women who broke the status quo and outshone their male counterparts — Sindhu PV, Minty Agarwal, Manasi Joshi, and Shweta Ratanpura are only a handful of the many.

Against this backdrop, the government of India has brought about a number of initiatives to support girl children. Initiatives like “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana” have been brought to reduce female feticide and increase the reach of education for girls. While the awareness began spreading much before the campaign, the initiative only added more momentum to the movement.

However, the bias against female children has not reduced as yet. Recently, the newspapers across the world read that not a single girl child was born for three months in a number of villages in Uttarakhand, raising suspicions. Here is a deeper look into the story. Read on.

History Of Women In Uttarakhand

History Of Women In Uttarakhand
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Image: Instagram @theuttarkashicity

Formerly known as Uttaranchal, Uttarakhand is a state that is commonly termed as Devabhumi or “Land of Gods” owing to the large number of Hindu pilgrim sites. Despite the rough weather and bumpy terrain, people throng this place round the year for pilgrimages. With a population of over 10 million, the state has witnessed its women being the backbone of the families — economically and practically. They took over challenges starting from earning bread for the family, taking care of the household, and even getting water from several kilometers away each day.

However, the history of women in the state does not stop there. During the 1970’s chipko movement, women held on tight to the green cover of their villages and fought major deforestation attempts. In later years, they were part of movements that protested against the Tehri dam construction and others. Despite all the efforts and work done by the women here, they have held a significantly lower status in society.

movements that protested against
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Image: Shutterstock

The status of women has been constantly reflected in the sex ratio of the state. What was 908 girls per 1,000 boys in 2001, dropped down to 890 in ten years. That is not the worst of the numbers. Over a span of three months, of the 216 children born in villages of the Uttarkashi district, not even one was a girl. And, in some other villages in Uttarkhand, the number of girl children were dramatically less.

These numbers have given rise to allegations that there are healthcare centers in the villages that are still providing gender determination, which has been deemed illegal since 1994.

After deeming 82 villages as being in the “Red Zone”, a team of officials has been created to investigate the situation. As a part of this mission, they will be investigating to see if gender determination tests are being carried out in the facilities surrounding the villages.

Abuse Of Technological Advancement

Abuse Of Technological Advancement
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Image: Shutterstock

For a long time, when the gender ratio was higher on the female side, men had to pay the women they married. However, with the scales tipping toward the other side, men began demanding massive dowries to choose their prospective wives. With this, the burden on the girls’ families increased, making them spend on abortions than to bear the cost of marriage over time.

With the improvement in infrastructure and other technological advancements, the gender ratio problem has not been solved. With better roads, people have better access to clinics that provide abortion and gender determination. Equipment that is used to determine prenatal deformities is now used to figure out the gender.

Ultrasound machines are usually taken on rent of a few days and used in temporary medical camps for pregnancy. Instead of checking the health, these illegal camps check for gender. Once the families get to know the fetus’ gender, they go to the cities to abort. Some families take loans at higher interest rates to make this happen. And the worst part? Most of the times, the mothers have no say in this at all.

Problem Not Just In Rural Areas

Problem Not Just In Rural Areas
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If we really look at the situation, the problem is not merely in the state but runs all across the Indian sub-continent. While on one side, families believe that a girl child is a burden, there are several other families that follow the belief system that their souls reach heaven only if the son lights their pyre.

This is a strong outcome of the age-old system that a girl, from birth, is the property of another family. And, if we dig deeper, we will realize that it is not just the rural areas. The problem is prevalent among urban families as well, where girl children are taught to cook and do other household chores, while the boys are often left to play and socialize.

children are taught
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Image: Shutterstock

If we need to consider bringing a change in society, it needs to start with us. All the preaching is useless if we cannot begin the change ourselves. Stop asking your daughters and daughters-in-law to do all the work. Ask your sons to stop scrolling Facebook, get off the couch and help in the household work. After all, boy or girl, they are still yours, aren’t they?

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