Sama organised a Seminar on Addressing Sex – Selection: Continued Challenges and Emerging Concerns on 4 December, 2010 in Delhi.
The seminar brought together individuals, organizations and networks, who have been working on different aspects linked to sex selection to reflect on past experiences and arrive at concrete strategies for future action. The Seminar also facilitated the examination of the linkages between socio-cultural attitudes and behavior, including dowry, honour crimes, policies that control fertility; emerging debates on abortion; the economics and proliferation of new reproductive technologies and sex selection.
The seminar was attended by 25 participants from community based organizations as well as advocacy groups, working broadly on issues of women’s health and rights, disability, marginalized sexualities and on addressing sex selection. Participants were from states in the northern region – Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand – with some of the worst sex ratios.
The seminar clearly highlighted the extremely poor implementation of the PC and PNDT Act, the lack of coordinated advocacy efforts at the national level and the need for discussion and formulation of an action plan to address these existing challenges and newer concerns associated with sex selection.