On n'arrête pas le progrès...

No more desi girls?

Reports of hundreds of baby girls turned into boys via medical surgery in Indore are shocking and must be thoroughly probed. If found correct, they are not only in serious violation of child rights but also provide painful evidence of an Indian preference for male children and the extent people can go to secure it.

Against claims that sex-changing surgeries - ideally performed only on consenting adults or for medical emergencies - have been executed on infants, it's heartening the PMO has taken note, demanding reports from concerned ministries to decide if new legal safeguards must be developed, particularly to protect girl children from operations they don't need.

Tackling the larger issue of pervasive gender bias remains. India's violent attitudes towards women are becoming notorious in appalling statistics of infanticide, rape and diverse forms of discrimination - from nourishment to education, health, labour and dignity.

According to a Thomson Reuters Trustlaw survey, India is the world's fourth most dangerous country for women, sharing disgrace with Afghanistan, Congo, Pakistan and Somalia. The irony is, India has a fairly comprehensive range of laws around women's rights. The trouble lies in weak implementation, fusing with backward customs.

Today, as Indian women stand upon a ledge of crisis, it's imperative our laws and executive wield their combined heft. Besides, female literacy must improve while police forces must become more women-friendly. Schemes providing economic incentives for having girl children - like the Ladli scheme in some states or Bihar's initiative in giving bicycles to school-going girls - can also significantly reduce stigmas around being female.