Female Infanticide

According to a recent report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) up to 50 million girls and women are missing from India’s population as a result of systematic gender discrimination in India. In most countries in the world, there are approximately 105 female births for every 100 males. In India, there are less than 93 women for every 100 men in the population. The reason for such a disparity is the practice of female infanticide in India. Though the government has battled the practice for decades, India’s gender imbalance has worsened in recent years. Any progress toward halting infanticide has been offset by a rise in sex-selective abortions. Too many couples – aided by medical technology, unethical doctors, and weak enforcement of laws banning abortion on the basis of gender – are electing to end a pregnancy if the foetus is female.

In pockets of India where female infanticide persists, the practice is rooted in a complex mix of economic, social, and cultural factors. Parents’ preference for a boy derives from the widespread belief that a son lighting his parents’ funeral pyre will ensure that their souls ascend to heaven; that he will be a provider in their later years and that he will preserve the family inheritance. Conversely, a daughter is considered an economic burden. Pressure to conform can be intense in rural areas, and some families borrow heavily to pay for the wedding jewelry and dowry.

Educating the girl child and empowering her with the skills necessary for economic independence seems to be the only long-term solution. Our government has started several programs to protect the girl child, but these have at best yielded only mixed results. The only way to wipe out this evil and ensure a safe future for our girls is by an attitudinal shift.