Feticide and dowry real killers of women in western Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW: The threat to bahu-betis (women) in west UP is actually from their families, not from 'Love Jihad', a term coined by right wing groups to describe a holy war waged by Muslim boys to trap and convert Hindu women.
Love Jihad is said to be one of the factors that has provoked communal passions in the area for the past one year, eventually triggering the blood bath, killing 62 innocents and turning over 50,000 refugees in their homeland.The starting point was the killing of three youth at Kawal village in Muzaffarnagar over harassment of girls. Even after riots, every incident of harassment of a Hindu girl involving Muslims, even with a remote link, is hyped up as Love Jihad.
But, there is no evidence to support the Love Jihad theory but female foeticide, poor maternal care and dowry, together kill one bahu/beti every four minutes in these areas.
In the past 10 years, almost all major political parties have ruled UP but, no movement or campaign, as the one which stoked communal flare-up, has been witnessed to address the real threat, which has now acquired monstrous proportions.
Sample this: Every day, foeticide kills 330 unborn girls in UP, poor maternal health 46 women and dowry six women-total 382 per day. This amounts to one killing per four minutes. The same applies to west UP.
Several government and non-government studies, including one by United Nation Population Fund, have revealed that the female foeticide is rampant in UP and the situation is worse in the western parts. The studies gain credence from the rising number of ultrasound and in-vitro fertilisation centres and decline in child sex ratio (number of girls against 1000 boys in 0-6 age group).
While the centres where sex determination can be done have increased in UP from 400 in 2001 to over 5,000 in 2013, the CSR has declined from 916 in 2001 Census to 902 in 2011, a 14-point drop. This means, in UP, only 902 girls take birth and survive till six years against 1,000 boys.
The national CSR is 919 and natural 945. This means in the past six years 7.2 lakh female foetuses were killed, which comes to 1.20 lakh every year, 10,000 every month and 330 daily.
The west UP, particularly the riot-hit area, has lowest CSRs in the state and have earned the dubious distinction of being called as 'killing fields for unborn girl child'. The CSR of Muzaffarnagar, for instance, is 863, which means 82 girls less than normal ratio. Similarly, the number of 'missing' girls in Meerut is 91, Baghpat 104, Bijnor 62 and Saharanpur 58.
"The betis are losing right to take birth and life because of highly patriarchal mindset which prefers boys over girls," said gynecologist-turned-activist Dr Neelam Singh, also member of several national bodies formed under the PCPNDT Act to check female foeticide. "The skewed sex ratio also reflects in the child population in Census 2011. The number of boys in 0-6 age group is 1.56 crore, whereas girls 1.40 crore (total 2.96 crore)," she added.
Dr Singh warned "The imbalance may lead to dangerous social and economic repercussions. Studies have revealed that it is a major factor for the rise in sex crime against women. Already, bride-buying has started as girls are not available for marriage in some west UP districts."
The warning does not seem misplaced. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, rape cases doubled in UP from 911 in 2003 to 1963 in 2012. Of 1963, in one third (679) offenders were close family members, relatives or neighbours. Similarly, molestation increased by three times from 1098 in 2003 to 7661 in 2012.
If betis are being massacred, bahus are not safe either. The NCRB data shows around 187 bahus are being killed every month for dowry in UP. Dowry deaths in 2003 were 1322, which increased to 2244 in 2012, a 70% rise. And, the cases of cruelty by husbands increased by 2.5 times from 2626 in 2003 to 7661 in 2012.
UP ranks first in the country in dowry deaths and third in cruelty by husbands. The situation in western parts is no better. In 2012, around 108 cases of dowry deaths and cruelty were reported every month from the six districts (Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Bijnor, Saharanpur, Baghpat and Shamli)."Such crimes are reported from all communities and there is nothing substantial to suggest that one is targeting the other," said a senior police officer.
When bahu and betis are under threat, how can mothers be secure? According to the latest Annual Health Survey the maternal mortality ratio of UP is 300, among highest in the country. In comparison India's MMR is 212. The MMR is the number of women who die during pregnancy and childbirth, per 100,000 live births. This means every year 16,500 mothers die in UP while giving birth to their child, which amounts to 46 deaths per day. And, the average MMR of Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Meerut, Baghpat and Bijnor is 240, which amounts to 1,100 maternal deaths every month and 37 per day.
While madness continues, said Rakesh Rana, a Bijnor-based activist, instead of sensitising people against social ills, which is their duty in a democracy, the political parties and the government are exploiting patriarchal mindset and indulging in communal politics for electoral gains.