Pune Municipal Corporation had conducted the annual Family survey which has revealed a shocking news. The old evil which has been driven out of the nation with stringent laws prosecuting the violators  is still practiced by a large number of people.

PMC survey showed that there were more than 3000 girls who were in between 15-19 years of age and already married and consummated. Sadly there were almost 1300 who already had a child.

This is not a vast improvement over last year's report from the survey (2011-12 ). Last year there were 3,094 married women/girls in the same age group of which 1,925 had had a child, said Anjali Sabane, PMC's deputy medical officer of health.

The results were from the people of the lower economic levels which were the prime target people of the PMC. The PMC aims to extend a few benefits like sterilization, ante-natal care and immunization to eligible couples and their children taking the data from these surveys.

Early marriages are a bane to the life of a woman, preventing their education. The early conception can also be hazardous to the lives of their children and themselves.

October 11 is marked as the first International day of the girl child. On this occasion let us remember the injustice the girl child is being treated with. With the love for a male child and the financial inability to raise a girl child, there have been over 3 million murders of the female children in the last 10 years. Dowry and domestic violence only add to these numbers. Another 3 million are kidnapped and introduced in prostitution at an early age.

It is high time that these crimes see their last days. Be a responsible citizen and treat the children impartially regardless of the sex.

(AW- Anil)