It is a little known fact that in Asia, at least 60 million girls are 'missing' due to prenatal sex selection, foeticide or neglect.
In India, as per the Census 2001, there is an alarming decline in the 0 to 6 sex ratio. Across the country, a large number of districts were witness to the phenomena of dwindling number of girls in the population. The number of districts with a sex ratio of less than 800 girls per 1000 boys was 14 as compared to 0 districts in 1991. The number of districts with a sex ratio in the range 800 to 849 increased from 1 district to 32 districts in the same decade.
Pre-natal sex selection is wiping out large numbers of females from the population, even before they have had an opportunity to be born.
Delhi, the political capital of India and Mumbai the commercial capital of the country, have 0 to 6 sex ratios much below the national ratio of 927, which in itself is low. Delhi has a sex ratio of 865 and Mumbai 898. Mumbai had recorded a fall of 32 points in the last decade from 930 girls per 1000 boys in 1991 to 898 girls per 1000 boys in 2001.
An alarming situation, it calls for immediate action on the issue. Therefore, we aim to involve the masses in supporting our fight against sex selection, helping create social consciousness to the issue, and in the long run, contribute to correcting the sex ratio.
By keeping the UNFPA-LAADLI National Awards open to the masses, we also aim to create a people's movement against the practice of sex selection, by providing communication support to ongoing campaigns on the issue across the country. We intend creating a pool of promotional material that could be used specifically for the campaign against sex selection.
Last Date: January 30th 2008
The awards are open to creative professionals (from any organisation/NGO/NPO), freelance professionals and individuals who are simply creative and believe in the cause.
Entries may include unpublished, not aired material, besides those published or aired in the past.
All entries finally selected by the jury, would be uploaded on a web based free open communication resource, dealing with the issue of sex selection.
All stakeholders/NGOs etc will be allowed free access to the same and could customize/modify them to suit their requirements to promote the cause. However, it will be mandatory for the users to acknowledge the original author/designer/maker of the materials in their customized versions of the same.
Basic guidelines to be followed:
All entries must be developed specifically keeping in mind the issue of sex selection.
Please avoid use of language that portrays girls as objects of pity or devalues them.
Avoid using words such as foeticide, killing, murder, and genocide as this focuses attention on negative emotions of fear and violence, thereby turning the audience away from the issue at hand.
Avoid using gory, brutal and extremely gruesome images/photographs etc in the content of the promotional material.
Avoid language that holds the mother responsible for sex selection. She has very little control over the decision.
E mail your entries to:
creative.excellence@populationfirst.org
OR
Send by post to Population First, Shetty House, 3 rd Floor, 101, MG Road, Fort, Mumbai,India 400023
For further information or to download entry forms, visit www.populationfirst.org
Contact:
Saipriya Paranjape : 022 2262 6672/2262 6676 / 09869173095
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
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