Female Infantism

...

foeticide.

Studies reveal that the deplorable conditions of women due to dowry problems, mounting expenditure on marriage, unemployment, agriculture failure have forced the parents to get into such a heinous practice. This is not only the problem of a particular region in the country. It is prevalent all over the country wherever people follow some rigid and anti-women socio-cultural practices in their life. Majority of the social science researchers have proved that poverty and dowry are the most important factors which forced the people to go for female infanticide. Other major factors influencing this evil practice are the expenditures on ceremonies in women’s life cycle; such as ear piercing and tonsure ceremony, puberty ceremony, marriage, compulsory call of newly wedded couples during common and village festivals, pregnancy and acute poverty

Another major possibility for female infanticide is in the cases of sequential birth of female child. The first birth of female child has on an average ninety per cent chance of survival. If the second one is also a female child, it has only forty to fifty percent chances of survival. If the third one is also female child, then parents dislike her and often kill her. Hence continuous birth of female babies is one of the most important factors of female infanticide.

Addressing the Issue

The answer to the entire problem lies in addressing the issue. Dowry and unemployment together with various expenditures in the life cycle of female children are the major causes of female infanticide. The parents killing their female children to escape from all these future problems which is unfortunate. The common people should be made aware that when they kill girls today they are also burying a lot of unseen and unrealized potentials. Dowry is actually an illegal practice. The imposition of the particular law should be dealt with more seriously than before in the light of female infanticide and foeticide. Spotting the gender of the child in the womb is also illegal. If this is taken seriously and exemplary punishments are sanctioned, abortions of female fetuses will also cease. Government can offer free education and other supports during the life of girls. This will reduce the anxiety of the parents regarding the expenditure which girl children will cause. However all these are only a few tips to address the issue in practical level. Change will take place at the root level only when the basic mentality of the people becomes positive towards woman.

Conclusion

The Bible says that God created humankind male and female and blessed them to be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth (Gen 1: 27-28). God wills human beings to come out man and woman in generations. Female infanticide and foeticide are aberrations to the command God and violation of the Fifth Commandment. Sociologically it is aggressiveness towards women beginning even before their birth and immediately after birth. It also affects the sex-ratio of men and women which will cause serious problems in the future. Nobody has the right to decide upon the life of another. God is the author of life. We must be able to fight these in human practices in all the way possible.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chinnadurai, R. “Female Infanticide in Tamil Nadu: An Analysis”. Women’s Link (April-June, 2007): 14-18.

PHC records of the concerned districts of Tamil Nadu.

Rajan Joseph, Marina. “Violence against women in the family - Female Infanticide”. National Council of Churches Review (November, 2002): 811-820.

Registrar General of India, Reported in Health Statistics of India (1985) Central Bureau of Health Intelligence, Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Family Welfare, Government of India, New Delhi.

Scriptural references are from The New Revised Standard Version: catholic edition. Bangalore: Theological Publication in India, 2010.

Vishwanath, L.S. “Efforts of Colonial State to Suppress Female Infanticide”. Economic and Political Weekly (May 9, 1988): 1104-1998.