CRY for girl child's issues

Charter submitted to govt, PM, president

The charter, which demands a halt on female foeticide, child labour, child marriage and abuse, has been sent to top ten leaders of the country including President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Sigh and Minister for Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath.

Demands

The other demands in the charter include the right to go to a quality school, adequate nutrition and healthcare to the girl child. To mark the day, the CRY also launched the pin doll, which symbolises fight for justice and dignity for the girl child.  The NGO also plans to organise online forums and public meets to discuss  issues related to the girl child throughout the year.

Reality check

* 7,000 female foetus are aborted everyday due to easy access to prenatal sex determination tests.

* 50 pc of the girls are married before the age of 13 in rural areas, and of them 52 pc give birth to their first child within 15 to 19 years.

* About 75 pc of the girls are anaemic and if they suffer from diarrhoea there is a 28 pc chance that they will not get proper treatment.

* Around 24 pc girls are never enrolled in schools and even if they are, 60 pc drop out before reaching secondary section.

* 53 pc of the girls in the age group of 5 to 9 years are illiterate.