|Extracts from SCN News (UNSSCN, 1991, 8 p.)| The photograph on
our cover is horrifying. Another baby girl dies unnecessarily.
The Department of Child Development, Government of India, with
assistance from UNICEF, has produced a compelling account of the
plight of "The Lesser Child". "In a culture that idolizes sons
and dreads the birth of a daughter, to be born female comes
perilously close of being born less than human. Today the
rejection of the unwanted girl can begin even before her birth:
prenatal sex determination tests followed by quick abortions
eliminate thousands of female foetuses before they can become
daughters. Those girls who manage to survive till birth and
beyond find that the dice is heavily loaded against them in a
world that denies them equal access to food, health, care,
education, employment and simple human dignity. "Born into
indifference and reared on neglect, the girl child is caught in
a web of cultural practices and prejudices that divest her of
her individuality and mould her int