Mumbai Marathon 2012 - Save the Girl Child

15^th Jan 2012 – The day of Mumbai Marathon…

In our corporate dream run, we ran with the motto of “Save the Girl Child”.

The preference of male child over a female has been the hallmark of Asian societies for centuries. Even after passing strict laws against prenatal methods of sex determination of fetus and abortion of female unborn child, uneven gender imbalance still persists; predominantly in North, Central and South Asia.

To combat this issue, there is a need to deepen the thinking of the girl child with regard to their infinite roles in society, enhance her self-esteem, inspire and motivate her to reach her full potential and through exposure to diverse careers and positive role models. Raising the status of women is the ultimate solution to let everyone realize that girls are on equal footing to boys.

The more the Asian nations will have adequate social security, the more the parental preference for sons will diminish. For instance, there is a need to make sure girls get an education and we ease the worries of families about old age by offering insurance.

Government should give top priority to develop and promote programs and policies to support the girl child in areas such as inheritance laws, dowries and social protection in old age that reflect as commitment to gender equality.Special supportive measures should be provided for families with no sons, to ensure protection for parents in old age.

Another approach to counterbalance the economics of gender inequality is offering cash or pension benefits to girls and empowering them by providing preferential treatment in health care, housing and employment.

There is also a need to educate the public on the negative effects of the widening demographic gap between girls and boys. The second message should be driven more by fear and shame, by emphasizing the risks associated with skirting the law, from health hazards related to unsafe abortions. Concerted campaigns in newspapers and through NGOs should be started to shape public opinion towards a greater awareness of the meaning and consequences of sex selection.

Female foeticide is a serious issue and all efforts must be made to put an end to it.I believe that our persistent efforts will eventually change people’s mindset and will narrow down this uneven gender imbalance.