NEW DELHI: At a time when the country is battling a declining sex ratio, a senior Congress leader has put the blame of rampant female foeticide on women. Referring to women in such cases as “murderers”, All India Mahila Congress president Anita Verma said that this was the biggest crime. Women's rights activists have reacted sharply to this controversial statement saying that it was even more damaging since it came from a woman political leader.
When asked if women were responsible for female foeticide, Verma told TOI, “Women are completely responsible. If she believes people and kills a girl baby, isse bada murder kya ho sakta hai?” (what can be a bigger crime that that?)
Verma said that women had to be made aware through public discourse and seminars but did not seem to think there was anything wrong in laying the responsibility of sex selective births squarely at the door of the woman.
Activists have express
ed concern over this simplistic and irresponsible statement. Left leader and Rajya Sabha member Brinda Karat said that such statements diverted attention from the non-implementation of the pre-natal determination test (PNDT) Act. “Such statements are damaging to the campaign for preventing sex selection. There is total lack of appreciation of societal pressures on a woman,” she said. Karat added that the PNDT Act clearly laid out that medical professionals and societal pressure on a woman were responsible for the declining sex ratio.
Centre for Social Research's Ranjana Kumari said it was “unfortunate” that a political leader had made such comments. “Women do not have control over their own bodies and these decisions are made for them. They are at risk of losing their status within the family and often their marriage if they do not comply. This just shows lack of understanding of how our society works,” she said.