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CHENNAI, INDIA, August 19, 2004: The juvenile sex ratio of boys and girls between zero and six years of age has hit an all-time low in Tamil Nadu. There should be 952 girls for every 1,000 boys. But according to the natural pattern of sex distribution, in the last two years this has touched as low as 727 in certain rural pockets of the state. “If juvenile sex ratio is below 900 in number of pockets, that means something very disturbing is going on,” says Dr. V. Vasanthi Devi, TN Women’s Commission. While rise in sex selective feticide is believed to be the reason for this, NGOs blame it on the over 2,000 scanning and family planning centers in the state.



Although these have been registered, most of these continue to discreetly reveal the sex of the fetus, in the guise of a regular check ups. With no strict monitoring by the health department, these centers have developed a code language as well to disclose the sex of the fetus. “Monday, means male as we use the first letter M and Friday, F, is for female,” explains N. Logamani, Wed Trust.



Having come into severe criticism, the Health Minister of the state says all scanning centres will be strictly monitored from now on. “Yes we are taking all steps. In the collectors conference, the Chief Minister has issued circular to all the collectors,” says Thalavai Sundaram, Health Minister, Tamil Nadu. Areas, which were earlier known for female infanticide, are now turning notorious for female feticide. Unless the government devices strategies to improve the declining juvenille sex ratio, the right to be born will continue to be denied to female fetus.

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