HIDDEN WITHIN the provisional figures of census released last month is a distressing trend. In the age group of under-six, for every 1,000 boys, there are only 927 girls. This figure was 945 ten years back.

In Karnataka, the child sex ratio, has dropped from 960 to 949: a decline that has made policy planners and health workers sit up.

This drop looks all the more alarming when viewed against two other figures. One, the sex ratio for the total population has gone up during the last 10 years 927 to 933. (In Karnataka from 960 to 964.) Two, in the seven-and-above age group, the number of girls has gone up 923 to 935. (In Karnataka from 960 to 966.)

This means the decrease in the number of females has been only in the age group of below six. And provisional figures for Karnataka show that it is in the relatively affluent districts that the number of girls has dropped over the past decade.

Sex ratio is considered an important indicator of a societys well being. According to UN figures, In countries with adequate health care, there is an average of 105 females to every 100 males. India is one among the countries that has a low sex ratio.

According to the United Nations Population Fund, Indian mortality rates for girls are 40 per cent higher than for boys. According to the 2001 census, out of 35 states and Union territories, only five have registered an increase in child sex ratio. They are Sikkim, Mizoram, Tripura, Lakshadweep and Kerala.

Sabu George, who has done extensive research in female infanticide in Tamil Nadu, and who works with the Community Health Cell, Koramangala, attributes this to the mushrooming of sex-determination clinics.

The figures are a confirmation of our prediction. When the first clinics appeared we had warned of adverse consequences. The figures speak of a deliberate act of violence against women.

In Karnataka, the biggest drop in child sex ratio is in Belgaum, 955 to 924. In Gulbarga and Mandya, it came down from 959 to 937, in Tumkur from 970 to 952 and in Bangalore Rural from 957 to 941.

H. Sudarshan, chairman, health and family welfare task force, says, This drop could be because of the neglect of the girl child, and high girl mortality. Another factor could be sex-determination and selective female abortion.
In Mandya town, for example, there are a number of clinics and are spreading to the villages.

Donna Fernandes of Vimochana says, It is a reaffirmation of the age-old prejudice against females, who are seen increasingly as a liability. Boys are seen as bringing in money whereas girls are seen as taking out money. Sadly, educated and affluent people ask for more dowry.

Gita Sen, professor, economics and social sciences, IIM, Bangalore, also attributes this to the systematic inroads made by selective abortion. She says, The fact that the decline is more steep in the forward districts of Karnataka is disturbing. It is perhaps an indication of easier accessibility to clinics there.

Sabu George is quick to clarify, We are not against abortion. We are against killing of females because of their sex. Violence cant be an answer to violence. Gita Sen stresses the need for a campaign, particularly against the practice of dowry, which she feels is the major reason for girls being perceived as a liability.