-The Times of India LONDON: India, the world's child marriage capital, has once again failed its under-age brides. The country has refused to sign the first-ever global resolution on early and forced marriage of children led by the UN. The resolution was supported by a cross-regional group of over 107 countries, including almost all countries with high rates of child marriage-Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Chad, Guatemala, Honduras and Yemen. The resolution floated by...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Ambiguity in abortion, other laws puts doctors in a fix-Aarti Dhar
-The Hindu Lack of harmonisation of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 with those meant to protect children from sexual abuse has put gynaecologists in a fix. The abortion law guarantees absolute confidentiality to a woman irrespective of her age, while the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2013 - put in place after the horrific gang-rape of the 23-year-old girl in Delhi...
More »Slight dip in India’s infant mortality rate -Himanshi Dhawan
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: India's infant mortality rate (IMR) has shown a minor decline last year compared to 2011. However, West Bengal and Assam - the worst performer - have shown no improvement at all, bucking the national trend of a decline in infant deaths by 4.5% - from 44 deaths for every 1,000 live births in 2011 to 42 fatalities the next year. A combination of causes like low...
More »US lawmakers examine gender imbalance in India
-AP WASHINGTON: Millions of sex-selective abortions in India have skewed gender ratios, and the origins of the problem can be traced to American-supported population control strategies decades ago, a US congressional panel heard Tuesday. Republican Rep. Chris Smith, a staunch opponent of abortion, took up the issue at the House subcommittee on global health and human rights at a hearing titled, "India's Missing Girls." The panel has often been a forum for tough...
More »India has 40% of world’s child brides, survey finds -Himanshi Dhawan
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Jhumki's (name changed) red and white sakha-pola (wedding bangles) and sindoor jar sharply with her starched uniform. She was forced by her father to marry when she was barely 11 but she feels lucky to be allowed to attend school. Forty-six per cent of women (between the ages of 18 and 29) in India were married before the age of 18, according to the National Family...
More »