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Campaign to Stop Female Infanticide and Sale of Girl Babies. V Rukmini Rao Gramya Resource Center for Women. Background. Information that Lambada families were killing their girl babies in Devarkonda Mandal, Nalgonda District, 1997 Responded to emergency call
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Campaign to Stop Female Infanticide and Sale of Girl Babies V Rukmini Rao Gramya Resource Center for Women
Background • Information that Lambada families were killing their girl babies in Devarkonda Mandal, Nalgonda District, 1997 • Responded to emergency call • Data about community generated four years later through a UNICEF study, “A Community Besieged” • High levels of poverty, lack of employment opportunities, low literacy, child labor • Dowry and violence against women practiced • High child mortality
Strategies Adopted • Organizing women in the area into SHGs • Alerting the government to the problem and Fact Finding Committee set up in 1997 • Discovering sale of girl babies through interaction with community • Campaigning around gender issues and creating awareness to stop sale and infanticide of girl babies • Training traditional birth attendants technically and creating gender sensitization among them since they are used to kill the infants.
Strategies Adopted Contd… • Media campaign to pressurize government to act against illegal adoption agencies buying children • Creating alliances with NGOs and women’s organizations belonging to political parties • Campaign in 10 districts • Lobbying with officials of tribal welfare and women and child welfare • Lobbying with district officials to implement development programmes • Lobbying with ministers – Home and Chief Minister • Lobbying with Opposition parties • Legal interventions • Development programmes to support sustainable agriculture taken up
Strategies that Worked • The strategies were developed keeping in view emerging conditions in the state. All of them were necessary to bring about planned changes.
Changes Brought About • Women Leaders in community took responsibility to stop middle men from buying children • Management of illegal adoption agencies arrested • More than 200 babies recovered and provided special health care • Children transferred to government care • Foreign adoptions put on moratorium to stop trafficking • Indian adoptions promoted • Twelve schools started in the 12 thandas, after some years handed over to the government and mainstreamed • Bridge school for girls continues • Significant change in family attitudes to education
Stake Holders Involved • Women from the lambada community • Men from the community • Government officials and Political leaders • NGOs • Print and Electronic Media • Legal system • Police
Change in the situation of the children • Girl babies retained by parents • Change in government policy to prevent sale of babies • Police vigilance increased • Special development officers posted to the area • Due to development interventions, attitudes towards children changed • Children brought back to school • Currently 95% of children in school