By Asha Hans
The choices before us in this country are narrowing down either we engender our society and polity or their will be few women left. Much has been written about the missing women first written about by Amartya Sen and then S.B. Agnihotri.

The sex ratio shows not only a decline in some northern States but if one is to analyse thoroughly then also in many districts of India . Among these in Orissa has been Nayagarh where the mass cases of female foeticide were discovered.

In the Year of Awareness of Female Foeticide it is reprehensible that each day new cases of foeticide are coming up. This apathy and insensitivity to women's issues has long existed in India and Orissa is part of this syndrome.

The 1990 son preference index done by Eapen and Kudoth show Orissa high on the scale – fifth. But is society alone to blame? Women working on trafficking in Orissa at any number of times have brought attention to the large scale trafficking of women especially of tribal women taking place from Orissa. They end up in places such as Haryana, Punjab and Delhi where sex ratios have declined and violence against women has increased (Bhatt, Sharma, 2006).

The trafficked women, married to more than one man at a time, are forced to work in the day time as unpaid labour in the fields and provide sex labour at night to the men in the family. Decline in sex ratios increases violence against women in many forms. Besides trafficking there is also kidnapping, rape and killing as seen in Haryana.

Is Orissa going to end up the same way? From suppliers of women to the northern states are we going to become purchasers? Is this how society and State looks at women's role in their lives – as mere objects to be disposed of – sold purchased and controlled. We do talk highly about ‘our' culture but if this is culture – then women I think do not want to be part of it.

After the census was out, the author had drawn attention of the decline to the State government and in a presentation at an all Secretaries meeting presided over by the Chief Secretary in 2003, again raised the issue.

Despite experts and women activists highlighting the fact why has the issue not been tackled? Either clinics are not registered or if they are sonologists are not appointed. `F' forms mandatory to be filled in are not considered important. Greed overcomes all ethical values.

Can a society without values survive very long? IT and industrialisation cannot fill the gap of human security. What do we leave our children with a society where law is mocked at; women are called mothers of the nation but raped each minute, killed before they are even born.

The protection system fought for by women and tried to be put in place has failed miserably as the female foeticide case of Nayagarh now extending to Khurda etc has shown.

Another contentious issue is of disability issue related to female foeticide. One reason given by the medical fraternity is that sonography is essential to detect disability. In a recent study done by the author, the sex ratio among disabled was found to be even below 800.

Then why is it that parents would take care of a disabled son but kill a disabled girl before she is born? It is obvious the issue is not disability; it is patriarchy. As long as society and State follow patriarchal norms and do not get rid of it women will remain unwanted and at the receiving end of violence from all quarters – the family, society and State.

Any continuity of violence against the subaltern can only end in future use of violence by the threatened and instability within the State. In the final, it is the State that will suffer if such a situation develops

Bhat, R.L. and Namita Sharma, 2006. Missing Girls: Evidence from some northern states”. Indian Journal of Gender Studies 13:.3. Dr. Meeta Singh and Vasu Mohan December 09, 2005 The rise of sex selection in India Democracy at Large vol. 2, no.1 , 2005

  (The writer is president of Sansristi and former Founder Director Women's Studies, Utkal University .)