Campaign to Stop Female Infanticide and

Sale of Girl Babies

V Rukmini Rao

Gramya Resource Center for Women

Background

Information that Lambada families were killing their girl babies in Devarkonda Mandal, Nalgonda District, 1997

Responded to emergency call Data about community generated four years later

through a UNICEF study, “A Community Besieged” High levels of poverty, lack of employment opportunities,

low literacy, child labor Dowry and violence against women practiced High child mortality

Strategies Adopted

Organizing women in the area into SHGs Alerting the government to the problem and Fact Finding

Committee set up in 1997 Discovering sale of girl babies through interaction with

community Campaigning around gender issues and creating

awareness to stop sale and infanticide of girl babies Training traditional birth attendants technically and

creating gender sensitization among them since they are used to kill the infants.

Strategies Adopted Contd…

Media campaign to pressurize government to act against illegal adoption agencies buying children

Creating alliances with NGOs and women’s organizations belonging to political parties

Campaign in 10 districts Lobbying with officials of tribal welfare and women and child welfare Lobbying with district officials to implement development

programmes Lobbying with ministers – Home and Chief Minister Lobbying with Opposition parties Legal interventions Development programmes to support sustainable agriculture taken

up

Strategies that Worked

The strategies were developed keeping in view emerging conditions in the state. All of them were necessary to bring about planned changes.

Changes Brought About

Women Leaders in community took responsibility to stop middle men from buying children

Management of illegal adoption agencies arrested More than 200 babies recovered and provided special

health care Children transferred to government care Foreign adoptions put on moratorium to stop trafficking Indian adoptions promoted Twelve schools started in the 12 thandas, after some

years handed over to the government and mainstreamed Bridge school for girls continues Significant change in family attitudes to education

Stake Holders Involved

Women from the lambada community Men from the community Government officials and Political leaders NGOs Print and Electronic Media Legal system Police

Change in the situation of the children Girl babies retained by parents Change in government policy to prevent sale of

babies Police vigilance increased Special development officers posted to the area Due to development interventions, attitudes

towards children changed Children brought back to school Currently 95% of children in school