NGOs opt for sting operations to curb pre - natal sex tests

Protest: Out on the road to save the girl childA young woman, wanting a male child desperately, sits in a maternity clinic in Mandya in Karnataka. Dr Rekha Sahani (name changed) has just briefed her about the method that can help her. She calls it a "fool proof" method of bearing a boy child. "Even if God descends on Earth, he will not be able to stop you from bearing a boy," she says.Minutes later, a group of activists from a Bangalore-based NGO Vimochana barge into the clinic and apprise the doctor that she has been "stung". The young woman in this case was a decoy deployed by the NGO and the conversation was recorded on a hidden camera. However, this entire piece of evidence has still not reached its logical end-conviction of the doctor. The doctor was only compelled to shut her clinic and that too because of widespread protests.The Pre - conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act prohibits sex determination. However, sex determination clinics have been mushrooming across the country. Faced with a toothless act, NGOs have taken to conducting sting operations on such clinics. Since 2003, when the first such sting operation was done, over 100 operations have been conducted across the country with dramatic results. In Satara, for example, the Dalit Mahila Vikas Mandal (DMVM) led a series of sting operations on doctors based in Satara, Thane and Navi Mumbai and managed to nab at least 16 doctors for violating the Act. There is a strong nexus between politicians and erring doctors. That's why many have escaped punishment. However, doctors running sex determination clinics have become wary of stings. The usage of sign language to indicate the sex of the child has made carrying out of sting operations even more difficult. The NGOs are appalled by the doctors' cruelty. "In Jaipur, a doctor agreed to abort a seven-month foetus. She told the patient that it would be highly risky but she was a master of abortions," says Meena Sharma, a freelance journalist who has conducted a number of such operations.A major contribution to this campaign was made by journalists in Rajasthan. Around 80 stings were conducted in six months by a news channel and Sharma jointly. They toured Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat and launched rallies to put adequate pressure on the government after which 13 doctors were suspended. "The reaction was so strong that the Rajasthan speaker asked the health minister to begin collecting evidence against these doctors," says Sharma. However, even though the PCPNDT Act recommends the use of decoy, these stings have not borne adequate results owing to the clout that most doctors have. "In Dr Rekha Sahani's case, the District Health Officer (DHO) was called to the police station and abused. The DHO was demoralised and later, transferred," says Donna Fernandes, Vimochana. More often than not, it becomes difficult for NGOs to take their case forward due to such hurdles. "It's a nexus between politicians and doctors," she adds.According to Varsha Deshpande of DMVM, the problem is that female foeticide is considered a social evil and not a crime. "Murder, of any kind, is considered a crime. However, when a girl is murdered in the womb, it becomes a social evil," she states. Says NCW joint secretary, Satish Loomba, "Sting operations cannot replace the usual way the Government functions. However, if done as an organized activity with the appropriate authorities, it is one of the more effective measures." He adds that although justice is delayed in most cases due to procedural bottlenecks, it will surely be delivered. Hopefully, along with more female babies.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Dec 4, 2006 00:00 IST--- ENDS ---

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NGOs opt for sting operations to curb pre - natal sex tests

With the law failing to check pre-natal sex tests, NGOs have found a new way to curb the menace-sting operations.

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