Isn’t it shameful that we live in the 21st century and even almost six decades after independence, female foeticide is still being committed in India? We all talk highly about India progressing and becoming a super power in the next couple of years, and how we should be proud about it. But what would your answer be if I ask you the question- What’s the use?
What is the use of becoming a super power, a highly potential nation when 80% of the Indian districts show a reducing sex ratio? Why is the child sex ratio of India, 919 females to 1000 males in 2011 census? And the fact is that this ratio declined from 927 females to 1000 males in the previous decade. Haryana lands with the top most position in the declining sex ratio with the lowest females as compared to males. The other states that seem to follow up are Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. This continues in all states of India except for some parts of south India and North-east India.
This has been going on since ancient times, and quite frankly, India has almost become numb to female infanticide as it was considered as the right thing to do in those times. Female infants were hated the moment they were laid eyes on. They were buried alive, poisoned to death. Drowned in boiling hot pots of milk or just disposed in the river like they’re disposing their usual trash. Sometimes even killed by rubbing poison on the mother’s breast. They are sold, murdered, tortured, beaten up, and in some horrendous cases, female fetuses are even cut to pieces and fed to dogs.
It pains me deep to think what those poor infants go through with absolutely no fault of theirs. What is their crime? Just that they were born as girls?
Were they the ones to go to the Almighty and whisper in his ear that they want to be born as females? Not even the worst criminal in our country is given a treatment like this, the way young girls are treated in our country. The most painful and terrifying thing is that these criminal minded monsters don’t even blink while committing such brutal crimes! Does their heart not go out for the wailing, helpless baby in their arms as they chuck them into that boiling milk pot? Do they not experience that excruciating pain their child is bearing, their own blood?! How can they just give that little one such a brutal punishment for merely being born? How can they just carry on with their lives like nothing happened for the rest of their lives? How do they sleep a peaceful sleep at night with the memories of the innocent little girl they just killed? Do these people not have any conscience at all?! These questions always surround my mind when I hear horrifying cases like these; each case more mortifying than before.
But none of us ever wonder what the negative and destructive consequences of female foeticide are! They are more than what you would have thought.
Trafficking: With the reduced number of girls, girls are kidnapped or sold out voluntarily by their own parents in exchange of some money, while the poor innocent girls lose their innocence at the age where they should be playing with their toys. Eventually, they end up becoming prostitutes and our so called ‘civilized’ society deprives them of their very right to lead a normal life. But that double standard, hypocrite society is not aware that they are the ones who are responsible for these women becoming prostitutes.
Increasing number of child marriages: Due to this ridiculous and atrocious belief of girls being a burden to their parents, the parents themselves force their young daughters to marry a man thrice as their age. Not only are such humans a disgrace to mankind, but they are the real culprits behind every tear their daughter sheds for the rest of her life. If that could even be called a life!
Ill-health of women: The epidemic of this century was to make the woman give birth to children until she bears a male child. Till then, innocent female foetuses are killed in the womb of the mother. This not only affects the mother’s physical health, but also traumatizes her for the rest of her life as she has the bear the guilt of being a criminal and killing her own daughters and not being able to do anything about it. Sometimes, her in-laws even disown her if she’s unable to bear a male child, but the truth that these merciless people don’t know is that the husband is responsible in determining the sex of the baby and not the female.
Shortage of girls for marriage: Due to reduction of females, many of the males in Haryana have to marry to someone who doesn’t share the same religion as them. Most of them seek for brides in Kerela in hopes of changing their marital status to ‘married’. The situation has gotten so worse, that people are willing to any sum of money to marry girls from other states.
And exactly like our Indian society has taught girls to accept their fate and live their life according to the vhims and fancies of their husband’s family, the poor women end up sacrificing their needs, religion, way of life and every single thing in their lives as they continue with their attempt to adapt to their new family for the rest of their lives.
The recent research suggests that 1 out of every 3 girls does not live to see her 15th One-third of these deaths take place at birth. Every sixth girl child’s death is due to gender discrimination.
1 out of every 4 women reported some kind of sexual abuse during childhood, chiefly by known persons. 1 out of 4 girls are sexually abused before they turn 4.
19% are abused between the ages of 4 and 8.
28% are abused between the ages of 8, 12 and 16.
3 lakh more girls than boys die every year.
Even if a girl escapes infanticide or foeticide, she is less likely to receive immunization, nutrition or medical treatment as compared to a male child.
53% of girls in the age group 5 to 9 years are illiterate.
Every year 27, 06, 000 children die in India and the deaths of girl children are extensively higher than males.
Girls as young as a year old are forced to go through sex change operations by their very own parents, desperate for a son. This obsession for a male child is prevalent in all income groups irrespective of caste and creed. Why there is such an obsession for a male child in the family? Haven’t females today proved that they can do everything that their male counterparts can with equal ease, in fact much better sometimes?! Then why do females have to go through so much pain, so much torture through their entire lives, merely for being born as females? What sort of punishment is this that our society claims to give them with absolutely no fault of theirs?
We should be ashamed to call ourselves a global superpower when women in our country are even denied of their right to life! And as it is rightly said, ‘If you want to know how successful the country is, look at the way it treats their women.’ And ironically, we stand first in the list of worshipping idols and statues of goddesses everyday as we travel long hours to temples to get a glimpse of them and touch their feet.
And you want to know something even more ironical? Goddess Saraswati is referred to as a goddess of knowledge when more than half of women in our country are illiterate. Goddess Laxmi is referred to as the goddess of prosperity, when women in our country are paid less amounts for the same work as their male counterparts. When three-fourth of the women in our country is binded by the shackles of their homes and not allowed to pursue their dreams. When Goddess Durga is termed as the Goddess of power and strength, when we consider women to be the weakest species on earth when they go on proving you wrong hundreds of times.
Unless our society changes their view and mindsets about women, no amount of law and order can stop them from committing heinous crimes like these. Such crimes would go on and on with each one becoming more frightening than the previous one. This cannot be merely changed with law, but every citizen in our country, irrespective of the income group should understand that they’re not giving birth to a burden by bearing a female foetus. Females are not burdens, they are the light of the family, if every individual understands this, imagine what a beautiful place India would be?
And today I address to the people of India, our Indian janta, answer my this question if you dare-
If you want to have a mother, girlfriend and wife, then why not a daughter?
This post originally appeared here.