Gender Biased Sex Selection
An excerpt on female foeticide in India
Female foeticide is the selective
abortion or elimination of the female child, with or without the consent of the
mother, after the detection of the child’s gender through a series of medical
tests. This is usually done under familial pressure from the husband or the
in-laws or sometimes, even the woman’s parents.
In India the ratio of boys to girls is
924:1000. That is, for every 1000 men, there are only 924 women. This statistic
was calculated in 2019 and over time there has been a decline in boy to girl
ratio in India.
The girls have not vanished overnight.
Decades of sex determination tests and female foeticide that has acquired
genocidal proportions are finally catching up with the states in India. The
frequency of female foeticide in India is assumed to be an estimation derived
from its high birth sex ration, that is the ratio of boys to girls at birth.
According to recent UN reports,
“Every day around 7000 girls are killed in the womb or immediately after birth
in India”. Despite these horrific numbers, foetal sex determination and sex
selective abortion by unethical medical professionals has grown today into a
1000 crore industry according to UNICEF.
The backward thought process that girls
are a liability and the fear of paying the dowry is what trigger such crimes.
Women are silenced and suppressed, which is why cases go unreported. As such,
combatting this social stigma becomes imperative.
Understanding the rationale and
stereotypes behind this
The contention at hand is to
understand where the issue of sex discrimination stems from. In a country
like India, there are many reasons. However, the basis of each one of them is
the same — men are considered better than women. The stereotypes behind female
foeticide are:
“Male Children are a Better Investment”
According to many Indian families,
sons are seen as the main sources of income, even though today, women have
almost as many career options as men do. The common misconception still remains
that it is the male who will help run the house and look after his parents and
family, while the women are viewed as cargo, something to be shipped off to
another household and made to bear and take care of a child.
“Female Children are a Gamble”
In India, the age-old system of dowry
puts a damper on the spirits of those who are blessed with a girl child. When
the girl is born, the parents begin to calculate the expense of her future
marriage, the lump sum that will be paid to the future groom’s family. Because
of this, the girl child is seen as bad luck to the family even before birth.
“Foul Medical Ethics”
With the legalization of abortion in In India, illegal sex determination and termination of pregnancies have become
everyday realities. Professionals in the medical field are only too glad to
help parents realize their dream of a healthy baby boy. Female foeticide is
openly discussed in the medical profession and many pinboards outside clinic
have advertisements for abortion read, “Pay 500 (as low as $10) today to save
the expense of 500,000 in the future”. The cost of an abortion is nothing
compared to the expense of having a child especially a girl.
Some statistics to show how serious
this issue is and how there seem to be no signs of it reducing.
i.
Since 1991, 80% of the
districts in India have recorded a declining sex ratio, with the state of
Punjab being the worst.
ii.
States like Maharashtra,
Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh have recorded more than 50 point
decline in the child sex ratio in this period. In Haryana, the child sex ratio
is as low as 834 girls for every 1000 boys.
iii. Sex-selective abortion by unethical medical professionals has grown
into a 1000-core industry in India.
iv. Despite improving the child sex ratio, India ranks 127th out of 146 in
the United Nations gender equality index.
v.
Over the last three years,
there were over 24,000 deaths related to dowry, in India.
vi. About 13% of maternal deaths in India result from unsafe abortions.
vii. Around 8 million female fetuses have been aborted in the past
decade.
viii. According to yo UNFPA, 117 million girls are missing as a result of
gender-biased sex selection.
However, things have slowly been
improving. The Government of India has taken initiatives to curb gender-biased
sex selection, including providing incentives to families with girl children,
and have also taken some drastic measures in order to protect the girl child.
1.
The Balika Samriddhi Yojana in
1997 is one of the most important initiatives of the Government to raise the overall status of the girl child. The Yojana aim to change family and community
attitudes towards both, the girl child and the mother. A series of incentives
were included in the Yojana, including the likes of a gift of Rs. 500/- to the
mother on delivery of a baby girl and the provision of an annual scholarship
for the girl, with the overall aim of improving enrollment and retention of girls
in school.
2.
In another major initiative, in
2005, the Government of India also announced free and reduced cost education
for girls. Those with two girls and no other children were promised discounts
of up to 50%. The program also offered fellowships of US$ 45 per month for
those undertaking post-graduation studies.
3.
The government has also set up
policies like the National Nutrition Policy (1993), which recognizes the stage
of adolescence as a special period for a multi-sectoral nutrition intervention
for the females.
4.
Various state governments have
formulated State Plans of Action for Girl Child, appropriate to the condition
prevailing in each state, prominently including Governments of Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Goa.
5.
A recent news story also
reported a unique campaign being carried out by over 200 people across five
northern and western states of India, under the leadership of the well-known leader
and social activist, Swami Agnivesh. Chief Minister of Haryana, Mr Bhupinder
Singh Hudda also lauded the consistent efforts of Swami Agnivesh and pledged
to extend all possible infrastructural nutrition education.
One of the most influential and
talked-about initiatives that is spread all over the country is the ‘Beti
Padhao, Beti Bachao’ campaign introduced by the Modi Government. It also
launched several conditional cash transfer schemes.
It is very shameful to say that even
in the 21st century, the problem of female foeticide and infanticide is so
common and openly talked about, as if it is not a heinous crime. Even with so
many government initiatives, people living in small villages and uneducated
areas still kill their girl child.
Even with all these initiatives, there
has been no significant improvement in the national sex ratio. So my question
is — When will gender-biased sex selection stop? Will India ever be a safe
place for women, especially for those who are still in the womb? Is it their
fault that they are girls? And will we ever become better?
- Eshanika Mehta
Girl Up Neev
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