Senior boys in Delhi Govt schools to give it in writing

If Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna8217;s plan is implemented, senior boys in Delhi government schools will be signing...

If Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna8217;s plan is implemented, senior boys in Delhi government schools will be signing an affirmation every year saying they will treat the women of their house with respect. The move aims to address the issues of skewed sex ratio and female foeticide in the Capital.

Khanna made the announcement at a seminar on female foeticide, organised by the Delhi Legal Services Authority DLSA at Vigyan Bhawan on Sunday. Addressing the seminar, he highlighted the need to bring about a change in people8217;s thoughts and attitude towards women. And according to him, his initiative will help achieve this target. 8220;We have about 1,100 government schools in the city and if every boy, studying in Class VIII to XIII, is made to sign the affirmation every year, I am sure there will be a major shift in attitude. Five years of signing that affirmation will definitely leave some impact on the child who is supposed to lead the future,8221; Khanna said.

8220;It is quite strange that we make several trips to the temples of goddesses across the country, but fail to give the women of our homes their due respect,8221; he said. According to the figures revealed at the seminar, the number of girls per 1,000 boys in south Delhi is 762, against 792 in Najafgarh. The average number of girls till the age of six per thousand boys in the city has dipped from 915 in 1991 to 865 in 2001.

Justice T S Thakur, executive chairman of the DLSA, said apart from attitude change there is also a need for legal literacy and awareness to address the issue.

Condemning gender discrimination against the girl child, Delhi High Court Chief Justice M K Sharma said it is worse than the attempt to exterminate Jews during the World War II. The daylong seminar attended by judicial officers and representatives from NGOs was inaugurated by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the morning.

8220;The country would come to a standstill if all women stop working even for a single day,8221; Dikshit said, adding that the government was considering an incentive scheme for parents of girl children.

8220;We are looking at providing Rs 5,000 at the birth of a girl in government hospitals and then giving some amount annually as an incentive so that parents don8217;t think of a girl child as a liability,8221; she added.