Indian girls called 'Unwanted' get name change
By Phil Hazlewood | AFP â
More than 100 Indian girls named "Unwanted" by their parents are to get new names âĶ
More than 100 Indian girls named "Unwanted" by their parents are to get new names this weekend as part of a campaign to tackle bias against women that has led to the country's huge gender imbalance.
About 150 of more than 200 girls called "Nakusa", which means "unwanted" in the local Marathi language of western Maharashtra state, will get rid of their first name for good on Saturday under an initiative in the district of Satara.
"We've identified 222 Nakusas," said district health officer Bhagwan Pawar, who has been behind a drive in the area to combat negative attitudes towards girls.
"The most probable reason for them being called 'Nakusa' is that they were the second, third or fourth child in that family and the parents wanted a boy," he told AFP.
Girls, particularly in poorer, rural areas of India, have traditionally been seen as a financial burden on their families because of the dowry that has to be paid when they marry.
In contrast, boys are viewed as heirs, future wage-earners and family heads.
"Many of these girls that we've identified don't want their name. They feel very bad about it, so there is a psychological impact," said Pawar.
"We will change their names and we will award them with certificates with the signature of the district collector (local government official) and myself. All their school documents and official records will be changed."
A preference for boys has led to a rise in the abortion of female foetuses in India as well as the neglect and even murder of baby girls, meaning millions of women are effectively "missing" from the population.
India has made the use of ultrasound scans to inform parents-to-be of the sex of their unborn child illegal, but a lack of enforcement means the practice continues.
One study published in The Lancet medical journal suggested that as many as half a million female foetuses are estimated to be aborted each year in India.
In April this year, 15 female foetuses were found on a rubbish dump in the eastern city of Patna.
By Phil Hazlewood | AFP â
More than 100 Indian girls named "Unwanted" by their parents are to get new names âĶ
More than 100 Indian girls named "Unwanted" by their parents are to get new names this weekend as part of a campaign to tackle bias against women that has led to the country's huge gender imbalance.
About 150 of more than 200 girls called "Nakusa", which means "unwanted" in the local Marathi language of western Maharashtra state, will get rid of their first name for good on Saturday under an initiative in the district of Satara.
"We've identified 222 Nakusas," said district health officer Bhagwan Pawar, who has been behind a drive in the area to combat negative attitudes towards girls.
"The most probable reason for them being called 'Nakusa' is that they were the second, third or fourth child in that family and the parents wanted a boy," he told AFP.
Girls, particularly in poorer, rural areas of India, have traditionally been seen as a financial burden on their families because of the dowry that has to be paid when they marry.
In contrast, boys are viewed as heirs, future wage-earners and family heads.
"Many of these girls that we've identified don't want their name. They feel very bad about it, so there is a psychological impact," said Pawar.
"We will change their names and we will award them with certificates with the signature of the district collector (local government official) and myself. All their school documents and official records will be changed."
A preference for boys has led to a rise in the abortion of female foetuses in India as well as the neglect and even murder of baby girls, meaning millions of women are effectively "missing" from the population.
India has made the use of ultrasound scans to inform parents-to-be of the sex of their unborn child illegal, but a lack of enforcement means the practice continues.
One study published in The Lancet medical journal suggested that as many as half a million female foetuses are estimated to be aborted each year in India.
In April this year, 15 female foetuses were found on a rubbish dump in the eastern city of Patna.
