Beti Zindabad marks Nirbhaya Day in Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar, Dec 17: 16th December, the day Nirbhaya happened and we rose collectively to speak against patriarchy and violence against women. Beti Zindabad has marked the day with simultaneous events across the country to draw public and media attention.
In Bhubaneswar a street theater by a women group followed by a candle march organized where around 250 participants from different part of the state join. Welcoming everyone Sudeshna Mishra, Senior Programme Officer of ActionAid explain that since last 5 decade sex ration in India is decreasing as per the information from census data.
But from the year 2011 many civil society groups and the state started talking about this as an issue, when there are 940 females on average on per 1000 males and the child sex ratio is 907 females per 1000 males. This is definitely an alarming issue and the missing number of girl children and women can be a result of severe type of violence occurring upon them.
Beti Zindabad is a campaign to address the issue of declining sex ratio, that has been designed by ActionAid India since 2013. Different awareness programme as well as advocating for implementing policies have been its main strategies of intervention in 20 provincial states. In Odisha the campaign continues by ActionAid’s regional office Bhubaneswar in collaboration with partner agencies.
A sand art exhibition on the topic by eminent sand artist Sudam Sahu followed by a street theater by women’s group of Puri will also be organised in the sea beach, Puri today.