Resumo de Divangat Betian

The problem of female infanticide and foeticide, especially in India, has assumed, despite prohibitive laws, alarming dimensions leading to serious imbalance in male-female ratio that results into serious socio-economic consequences. The problem is more acute in Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat.
'DIVANGAT BETIAN' which literally means 'THE DECEASED DAUGHTERS' authored by Writer-cum-Journalist Jagjit Singh is a thought provoking book in Hindi on this issue. The Study is focused on the practice of female infanticide and foeticide in India and some other counties in Asia. The book is in two parts. Starting with an introductory chapter entitled 'MADA HONE KI SAJA (Literally meaning PENALTY OF BEING A FEMALE) '
The book looks into the historical background of female infanticide with its causative factors amongst various communities in India and elsewhere. It reveals the barbaric means employed in the past and present to get rid of girls, steps taken by the British rulers to study and correct the situation in pre-independence India, their effectiveness which yielded positive results and improved the girls-boys ratio in the areas where female infanticide was discovered. The book investigates the situation in Asia, particularly China, Korea and India. The Indian scenario has been discussed in detail covering fourteen states where this inhuman practice persists the most. The book also looks into the legal aspects including India's Supreme Court's directives to stop sex determination tests. Based on the information available from various sources, this part of the book makes an analysis of the effectiveness of the related law of the day to deter people from committing this crime against humanity. It also gives some vital figures regarding the number of prosecutions launched since the enactment of law. The book also discusses the religious leaders' viewpoint on this social issue, in the wake of the exhortation to the people, a couple of years back, by Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, chief of Akal Takht Sahib, the supreme body of the Sikhs to stop this heinous practice. Here the author also makes a brief reference to the Sikh Gurus' edict against infanticide making it liable on the violator to be excommunicated from the community. The book also focuses on the right to life guaranteed in the constitution of India and advances. The author questions the missing reference in the international treaties, of girls' right to protection against sex-selective killing, campaigns by those who feel concerned on this issue and signs of improvements where people stood firmly against this practice.
In the second part, two bills related to the issues (One on medical termination of pregnancy and other on pre-natal diagnostic technique) are appended for ready reference of various legal protections and prohibitions. Thirteen tables containing vital and regionally comparative statistics on the issue have been given at the end. As can be seen from the bibliography, the study is based on books, various govt. reports, UN publications, newspaper articles and reports, NGO's and individual researchers' findings, etc. Needless to say, the book is a handy and important document for the people working for the protection of girl child.

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