Girls beat boys in adoption wishlist

KOLKATA: Recent adoption trends in the state have demolished the notion that male babies are always preferred to girls.
A survey of the domestic adoption figures in West Bengal shows that there are more applications at adoption agencies giving first preference to a girl child.
"With female foeticide still rampant in parts of northern India, we are proud that West Bengal leads the country in rising number of adoptions for the female child.It is encouraging that adoption, which was once considered a social stigma, is now treated as a badge of honour," said executive director at Society for Indian Children’s Welfare (SICW) Swaran Chaudhry.
The waiting list at the agencies is also flooded with requests for a girl child.
"We have around 25-30 applicants waiting for a girl child as compared to 15 families waiting to adopt a boy," said Madhumita Roy, who heads the Indian Society for Rehabilitation of Children (ISRC).
She said the trend has been the same in their agency in the last three years.
"There was a time when it was very difficult to find a family which would accept a girl child. But it is interesting that families with one natural girl child are also considering the option of adopting a second girl," said Indian Society for Sponsorship and Adoption (ISSA) founder Saroj Sood, explaining that parents cannot adopt a second child of the same sex under Hindu Law.
"An educated and enlightened family is more keen on providing a home for a girl child. With growing awareness and publicity given to a girl’s achievement at academics and extra-curricular activities, parents get motivated to adopt a girl," said Chaudhry.
"Our girls also share the credit by proving that they are no less than boys," added Chaudhry.