Hyderabad: A recent study on ‘Child Sex Ratio’ has revealed that even among the urban population the ratio of females is less than males. The situation in the urban areas is not very different from rural areas as the census shows that currently there are 919 girls for every 1,000 boys in the cities. In 2001, the ratio was 927:1,000.
Even in the 21st century, educated couples prefer male children, the study reveals. Sex selective abortions due to the poor implementation of Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PCPNDT), gender-based violence, and deep-rooted patriarchy are major factors leading to declining child sex ratio. This survey was conducted by Action Aid, an anti-poverty agency at the state and national level.
The overall sex ratio of undivided Andhra Pradesh was 993:1000, while in the 0-6 years age group, there were 939 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2011. In 2001, there were 961 girls for 1,000 boys in the same category.
The lowest child sex ratio has been reported in the Nagayalanka mandal of the Krishna district at 780 girls for 1,000 boys. Venkatapuram in Khammam has the highest ratio of 1,047:1,000. The survey reveals that the reasons go beyond poverty and backwardness, since the Venkatapuram mandal has the most backward population among tribal communities.
Comparing mandal sex ratio statistics of 1991, 2001 and 2011, it was found that there were 306 mandals with more than 1000 girls for 1,000 boys in 1991. By 2001, the number had dwindled to 114 mandals, and in 2011, only 54 mandals had more boys than girls. Mandals with lower sex ratios seem to be on the rise, with over 100 mandals with less than 850-899 girls per 1,000 boys in 2011. This shows the drastic fall in child sex ratio within 20 years.
Kalpana Dayala of Action Aid said, “The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act came into force in 1971 to give abortion rights to women to allow control over their bodies. In the same decade, the government had introduced the birth control programme (family planning) to check population growth. Then the PNDT Act came into being to curb sex selective abortions in 1994 and subsequently was amended as PCPNDT Act in 2003. Surprisingly, the child sex ratio of India, including undivided AP, came down from 964 (1991) to 919 (2001) even in the presence of the legislation.”
