ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

The Rediff Special/Shobha Warrier

'Female infanticide contributes to about 8 per cent of infant deaths'

Sheela Rani Chunkath, project director, Danida Healthcare Project, tells Shobha Warrier that within six months of the street theatre going into the fields, there were more than 80 cases of saved babies.

Your effort in spreading literacy in Tamil Nadu was much appreciated. How different and difficult is the work to eradicate female infanticide?

Health work is much more difficult, because it is not a one-point agenda. You have to attack many issues like patriarchy, empowerment of women, etc.

You decided to give stress to healthcare and education in this fight. Why?

Healthcare and education are two pillars on which any society's well being rests. When tackling the issue of female infanticide, we started looking at Infant Morality Rate. You may look at the medical parameters too. But so long as you don't attack the social factors, which lead to the death of an infant, you will never be able to bring down infant morality. I think we need to look at it multi-dimensionally; social empowerment, status of women and other issues.

How do you tackle the social aspects involved in female infanticide?

It is difficult. The reason why female infanticide takes place is because there are very many factors. We really needed to go down to the field and talk to the people and involve them. That is why we chose the street change, so long as men, women and the society are not involved, we will not be able to bring about the change. Can you believe, within six months of the street theatre going into the fields, we had more than 80 cases of saved babies, that is their previous girl child was killed and the next one was saved?

We had a case in one village where the woman an her family decided to kill a child but the Panchayat intervened and took a signature campaign. They asked the family not to do anything that would bring shame to their village. Thus they managed to save the child.

Who has to play an active role in attacking issues like this, the social activist or the government?

I think the combination is unbeatable. The strength of our campaign is that the government is doing a kind of social activism. Street theatre is only a tool to set off certain actions in motion.

The IMR of Tamil Nadu has not come down but has remained stable at around 53. Is this because of female infanticide?

Female infanticide contributes to about 8 per cent of infant deaths. I wouldn't put it as the only cause. I think there are other reasons like maternal malnutrition, asphyxia, also.

'The girls take an oath that they will not be involved in female infanticide either directly or indirectly'

The Rediff Specials

Tell us what you think of this interview