save the girl child and prevent gender selection by supporting laadli - population first, india

Mumbai’s Girl Child Campaign

Falling Child Sex RatioFalling Child Sex Ratio

‘A Silent National ‘A Silent National Emergency’Emergency’

The world population has a sex ratio of 990 females per 1000 males

Sex ratio:

Japan 1041

USA 1029

Indonesia 1004

Bangladesh 953

China 944

India 933

India has one of the lowest sex ratios in the world

Some cold facts:

In India, sex ratio in the age group 0-6 has declined sharply from 945 girls per 1000 boys in 1991 to 927 girls today.

Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttaranchal, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and UP have worse sex ratios than the national average in the 0-6 age group.

The sudden fall in the number of girls in the youngest age group is believed to be proof of the increased incidence of pre-natal sex selection.

Pre-natal sex selective abortions are the result of the misuse of sex determination technologies such as ultrasound scanning and amniocentesis.

An additional hazard…

‘Selective Conception’:

This new technology aims to give the couple a choice of sex selection in the pre-conception stage.

The X-Y sperm separation and the Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis are done as early as three days after fertilization

So if one has the money to spend, one can have more options: selective abortion or selective conception.

Abortion is the right of the woman and is legalized in India under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act.

However, having an abortion based only on the gender of the foetus is illegal….

…..and a horrible form of gender discrimination.

Laadli: Objectives and Strategy

• Creating awareness that sex selection is a crime

• Making each one in the community feel that sex selection is not a private choice, but a public issue

• Empowering individuals and communities to voice their disapproval and to initiate action against offenders

We work with …

• Opinion makers, role models and youth icons to impart visibility and build public opinion

• Youth of the city, to take the discussion on the issue into homes and communities

• Community-based organisations and NGO networks to create awareness, provide support services and bring in greater vigilance

• Media to shape public perceptions and values

• Medical professionals for effective implementation of the PNDT Act

… & the noise in Mumbai

Laadli launch on June 9, 2005

Actor Mandira Bedi leads the audience and important guests in reading the

Laadli pledge

Mumbai mayor Datta Dalvi officially launches Laadli

Promotion material: Labels

Promotion material: Car stickers

Hoardings

Ganeshotsav

An audio-visual titled Vansh was created by the organisers of the Palanji Ratanji Ganesh Mandal that adopted Laadli as it’s theme for Ganeshotsav 2005.

Model-actress Aditi Gowitrikar visits the Palanji Ratanji Ganesh Mandal.

Elphinstone College students perform a puppet show at the famous Lalbaug ka Raja Ganesh Mandal.

K.J. Somaiya College students perform a street play at the famous Lalbaug ka Raja Ganesh Mandal.

Poster campaign

Laadli Flash

• On September 24, 2005 – SAARC International Day of the Girl Child

• Involving 1,600 students• From 24 city colleges

• 80 times in one day

• At 40 locations spanning Colaba to suburban Mira Road

• Spontaneous activities to draw the attention of passers-by to the issue of sex selection

Students perform a street play in a suburban slum area.

Students demonstrate with banners and placards at a popular mall in south-central Mumbai

NSS Volunteers demonstrate at a busy location in suburban Mumbai.

Students demonstrate at a busy location in suburban Mumbai.

Click on link box

TVC

Mumbai’s Girl Child Campaign

TheThe Way ForwardWay Forward

Plans till January 2006

• A Laadli Youth Fest Awards Function on December 13, 2005

• Promote the theme of our campaign, ‘Celebrate Her Life’

• 8 different creative competitions like essay, short story and slogan writing, radio jingle, photography, filmmaking, poster making and street plays

• All the creative work produced will be showcased at the venue and winners will be awarded.

Laadli Youth Fest

Media Campaign

Sensitisation workshops for the media on:

- Gender

- Girl child issues

- Falling sex ratio in Mumbai

To be conducted for:

- Middle-level journalists both, in print and TV media

- In Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Urdu and English

Promotion of positive portrayals of girl child in the media

• Develop a set of guidelines for tracking the portrayal of the girl child in the mainstream media

• Involve the media regulatory bodies in promoting the guidelines

• Advocate the inclusion of gender sensitivity as a category in all media awards

• Institute a Laadli award for best portrayal of girl child in advertising / television serials

… contd

Promotion of positive portrayals of girl child in the media … contd

•Institute a Laadli award for best portrayal of girl child in advertising / television serials

•Build public opinion on negative portrayals of the girl child/women in the media

•Motivate corporates to promote gender sensitive portrayals in their media campaigns

Ward Level Initiatives

• Resource mapping of the wards

• Ward level committees in C,D,E, and M wards

• Working with Violence Against Girl Child Network to focus on the falling sex ratio and the pre-conception and pre-natal sex selection processes

Laadli gets the official nod

The Prime Minister’s Blessings

Because we would like to see our daughters as achievers in the future

Thank You