Killing or selectively aborting a child purely for the fact that is a girl, seems like some thing out of our dark history, sadly it is not. Right this very moment a child is probably being killed for no other reason other than they are female, as thousands of infant or unborn girls are killed every week. In India a girl is often seen not as a blessing, but a burden…too expensive, or not as prosperous as boys. This is not a new phenomenon, and it is not limited to the poor, but it must come to an end before there is a serious deficiency of girls. In some parts of India the lack of available girls for brides is already being heavily felt.
Earlier this year UNICEF reported that of 100 million females worldwide who would have been born, 43 million where Indian. The estimation was based on females denied life under extreme circumstances, which includes foeticide.The use of ultrasounds have only increased the gender discrimination of girls, prompting many woman to selectively abort female fetuses (abortion has been legal since 1971). In July this year, dozens of aborted female fetuses were found in a well of a clinic, which was conducting illegal sex selection tests and foeticide/abortions (Harsh reality of India's unwanted girls).
While foeticide has been baned in India since 1994, the practice is still wide spread, and has only been driven underground. Although it is not as underground as one would think, as you can see by advertisements, like the one shown above. “Sex selection is estimated to be worth about 100 million dollars in India, although all of it is underground and a large part of it operates through mobile sex-selection clinics. "Pay Rs 5000 today and save Rs 5 lakhs tomorrow,' was one such advertising slogan (Sex Selection is big business in India)”.
Sadly selective abortions are not the only way families are ridding themselves of unwanted girls, many are blatantly killing the infants. In July this year a 2 day old baby girls was found burred alive, the baby named , was buried by her maternal grandfather, who claimed he could not afford to support another female in the family.
The issue of gender inequality and India's tendency to rid the society of millions of girls, was brought to light once again on This World: India's Missing Girls which was broadcast on Monday 22 October 2007 at 1900 BST on BBC Two.
Sadly the issue has been brought to light again and again, especially in the last five years, yet the real impact has not been felt, as little progress has been made and change seems to remain in the distant future. Until the government and international community really stamp down, but more importantly educate the population on the long term effects of sex discrimination and foeticide, the fate of girls across India is in danger.
Please also see my previous article, Are Girls Still Marginalized Discrimination and Gender Inequality in Todays Society.
