India’s population of the girl child and adolescents is 253 million as per UNICEF report and the sex ratio at birth is 929 per 1000 male children as per NFHS-5. To begin with anecdotal evidences, in 2013, I was endowed with the opportunity of developing a programme on a mission mode of reducing Infant mortality rate in the tribal block of Attappady of Palakad district of Kerala.
The IMR rate at 54 stood above the National Average (Rozario, 2013). In contradiction to the laudable human development indicators in Kerala, this predominant tribal block had deplorable figures of high IMR, MMR, child marriages, low life expectancy, trafficking, sexual abuse, unwed motherhood as in the other tribal pockets of Kerala. The development gaps were high. Issues of indiscriminate land alienation, sexual abuse of adolescents by settlers to alienate land, forced out of rich traditional form of cultivation which was a mix of edible leaves, millets, tubers, vegetables and pulses and resultant deprivation of traditional nutritious diet and dependence on ration rice, lack of access to entitlements, schooling in crammed hostels, overcrowding and exclusionary practices in schools leading to high drop-out impacted on the physical and mental health of the girl child and adolescents.
Child marriages, malnourishment and anaemia caused high IMR and MMR. The project from NRLM, MORD was designed to address these issues. This was one scenario of the precarious situation of tribal girl children caused due to huge developmental lag and exploitation. The situation is similar in several blocks of the country on high alert for IMR and MMR. The IMR for the country is 35.2 per 1000 live births and 41.9 under five mortality rate and cause of severe alarm and requires concerted efforts.
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In another instance, as part of the Mahila Samakhya programme designed and implemented under the National Education Policy of MHRD, in 2008, in Kerala, to deal with high instances of child sexual abuse, a programme for gender education of teachers and educational functionaries was designed in coordination with Education department, Planning Board and UNICEF. As a concrete measure, help-desks were set up by Mahila Samakhya and SSA in all schools of Kerala and several children were rescued from sexual abuse, rehabilitated, and educated through Mahila Shikashan Kendra. One of the successfully won battle of resistance was when a survivor of abuse won the State Award on women’s Day by the Renowned Ex Health Minister, Shailaja. She had been sexually abused by her father and 12 other men in powerful position. All the men were imprisoned and sentenced to life imprisonment. The Sentence was upheld by high court.
The entire family of three girl children were educationally supported. The survivor was supported to become a lawyer. A long-drawn support of 12 years. Child sexual abuse, as witnessed in God’s own country preys upon girl children’s safety and security. The programme of Mahila Samakhya which worked on the educational empowerment of girl children and women was closed down in the entire country.
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Situation of the girl child in India
On the occasion of the National Girl child day, the girl child is still considered as external to the parental home “paraya dhan” to be groomed for the marital home. This is evident in the lowering of sex ratio of the girl child. NFHS- 5 reveals that the sex ratio is at impacting on the very survival chances of the girl child. The most heinous crime of sex selected abortions continues unabatedly in connivance with the medical system and in gross violation of the Pre Conception and Pre- Natal Diagnostics Technique Act. In a society deeply ridden with patriarchal norms and notions and structural inequalities, the girl child is a burden, external to the very family she is born in, groomed to be sent off to a marital home. She is considered of no value in her parental home. Out of 12.5 million children married in India, 8.9 million are girls as per UNICEF report.
Covid has further put her life in a precarious condition with the reduction in income and livelihoods. Child marriages were on the increase as reported by the Community resource persons working with Cluster level federations of National Rural livelihood Mission, Ministry of Rural Development. The closing down of schools during lock- down had further deprived girl children of right to education.
As we observe the Right to education Day, we can see that at present, one in three girls complete school education (UDISE 2016-2017). Girl children are pushed out of educational system as they are sent to government schools in rural areas and families exacerbate the inequality by sending boys to the private English medium schools. The government schools merely act as an institution to provide mid-day meal and a time-pass for the most deprived children due to heavy absenteeism of teachers, irregularity in teaching and blow on the quality leaving children unequipped for reading and writing after completing school. Girls also are supposed to look after siblings and as part of the entrenched gendering process, engage in all the domestic chores for supporting mothers and groomed for a marital home.
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The Global Hunger Index Report, debated and NFHS-5 shows that 59% adolescents in the age group of 15 to 19 years are anaemic. Gril children are deprived of food and nutrition due to gender norms of eating last and least and bereft of some diet which is considered as inducing hormonal growth. Taboos intensify in adolescence with strict restrictions on mobility, speech, diet and the entire being of the girl child. This can be one of the leading factors for anaemia and malnourishment along with poverty and inaccessibility. This deprivation along with child marriages leads to high IMR and MMR in several parts of the country. Child marriages stand at 23.3% in the country as per NFHS-5. Covid intensified child marriages as good riddance of one more mouth to feed due to lock-down, reduction in livelihoods and income and closing of schools. Child marriages subjects the body of child to abuse and unprepared pregnancy having a debilitating impact on health making it a contributory factor for IMR and MMR.
Child abuse and sexual abuse is still high despite the promulgation of the most progressive POCSO Act. Functioning of the legal system is lackadaisical with very few cases getting tried and convicted. It impacts on the life of the girl child throughout adulthood and induces fear in the minds of all children and women. Child sexual abuse stands at 13244 in 2020 as per NCRB report.
Trafficking of the girl child is 44% of the trafficking incidents in 2021 as per National Crime Record Bureau. It shatters the life of the child reducing her to non-existence unleashing severe mental and physical violence. Many are missing, never latter tracked, heard off. The nexus is hardly punished.
Policy, Legislation and Programmes
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India is signatory to the United Nation’s convention of the Rights of children and National Policy for children has been published. There are several legislations like Right to Education Act, Child Marriage Restraint Act, Child labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, National food Security Act, Protection of Children from sexual offences Act and Immoral Traffic Prevention Act. All the acts have several loopholes in implementation including the patriarchal norms and gendered attitude of all legal stakeholders including judges, magistrates, and police. Approaching the judicial system proves traumatic for the survivors and they are unable to take recourse to it.
Programmes have been designed by governments and departments and policy makers to meet all practical and strategic requirements comprehensively. National Food Security Act has enabled access to PDS, MDM in schools, Integrated Child Development Scheme provides Take Home Ration and nutritious food in anganwadis. NHM focusses on universal immunisation. Village Health Nutrition Day is supposed to extend collaborative services of immunisation, monitoring of pregnant women, weight, height and MUAC measurements and identification and referrals of malnourished children to Nutritional rehabilitation centres, life-skill training of adolescents and menstrual hygiene awareness. Poshan Abhiyan and Poshan Pakhwada were initiated in campaign mode to ensure nutrition across the country. Right to Education Act implementation through SSA and RMSA was also focussed upon to be severely impacted during Covid and marginalised children were pushed out of the system. Protection of children from sexual offences Act and Immoral Traffic Prevention Act have also promulgated but there is gap in implementation. Women and Child Development has also developed Nirbhaya scheme for the support of children in distress.
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National Rural Livelihood Mission, Programme for Ministry of Rural Development for which Transforming Rural India Foundation extends technical support on livelihoods and Village poverty reduction plan, has developed gender operational strategy for 29 states in the country and has been making efforts to develop institutional mechanisms to address issues of gender equality and equity. Gender Resource Centres are being established at the block level managed by the CLF and the focus is on issues of retention of children in education, prevention of child marriages, gender-based violence and asset creation in the names of women, etc. Gender Resource Centre would work in collaboration with protection officer, one stop centre, legal services authority, education and health department to address these issues. In Madhya Pradesh, State Rural Livelihood Mission with the technical support of TRIF is developing Nari Adhikar Kendra in all blocks. An effort which would pave a path to the goal of gender equality and gender equity and protection of girl children and women.
Concerted efforts of various departments, NGOs and International organisations are required to make change in the status of the girl child and break patriarchal norms that devalue girl children.
About the author: Seema Bhaskaran is the Lead-Gender at Transforming Rural India Foundation. All views/opinions expressed in the article are of the author.