Female infanticide is the intentional killing of baby girls simply because of their sex and the low status that comes with being a female. It is widely practiced and almost acceptable in India. Especially in rural areas where people do not have access to sex determination facilities, female infanticide is horrendously common. The concern with this issue is that males are outnumbering females. The government of India needs to take effectual action to raise the status of women so the incidence of female infanticide comes to a stop. The main factors of this horrendous incidence are the son preference of Indian families due to economic reasons, the practice of dowry which causes life long debts for families with daughters, and the lack of education among females. The government of India can and should do a lot to tackle this issue.
According to census statistics the number of female infants comparing to male infants has dropped from 972 girls per 1000 boys in 1901 to 929 girls per 1000 boys in 1991 ( ). The number of girls are continuously decreasing. Getting rid of baby girl is not an obligation in India, however if the government doesn't do much to prevent it from happening they are basically encouraging people to commit these appalling murders. Those who commit infanticides are usually people who live in poverty who feel that it is impossible for them to raise a girl simply because they don't have the wealth to support their daughter and eventually get them married. However, female infanticide has become such a common incidence that even wealthier families get rid of their daughters because they are a shame to have and will eventually only dilute the family's wealth. In fact, it is the wealthier people who commit most female abortions considering that they can afford prenatal determination of sex such as ultrasounds and know the sex of the baby before it is born. This makes them commit infanticides more and more. Apart from abortions they the way they commit infanticide after the birth of the baby is by smothering the baby, making them lick poison, or simply by not feeding them. What also happens often is that doctors illegally determine the sex of a pregnant women's foetus so that if it's a girl, the women can get an abortion ( ). That is how undesired the female infant is within the Indian culture.
The reasons behind this culturally accepted elimination of girls arises largely due to economic and cultural motives. The biases against daughters start with the preference of the son, who is deemed important because he provides income for the family and eventually a wife with a large dowry. Dowry is money or material stuff that the groom's family demands from the bride's family at marriage. It is one of the main reasons why people would rather have sons. Girls are considered to be an economic burden due to the practice of dowry, while boys are considered to be an asset. Although the practice of dowry is against the law, many women don't do or say anything about it. This is because of their lack of education. Most women don't know their rights or they might not know how to inform or approach the police about them being mistreated. Dowry-related violence increased more than three-fold between 1990 and 2000. Dowry deaths rose by 38 percent during that same time period and since then about 6,000 to 7,000 women have been murdered each year ( ). Yet, most women don't have the courage to stand up and speak up. This would have been different if all these women were educated and would have a higher status.
The government might not directly be responsible for female infanticides, but it can surely try harder to prevent it. The government has the power to spread the awareness that a girl child is no burden. They should unquestionably be able to control their people and promote lots of awareness about this cruel malpractice amongst Indians throughout the nation. The first thing they could do to try to stop female infanticides from happening is imposing high taxes on families with boys. For instance, a family that has five sons will have a better income that a family that has five girls who cannot work and provide money for the family. Therefore, the government should impose taxes on families with boys so that they could use that money to give tax and food subsidies to families with more girls. The government would not be at great loss by doing this. This way the costs of raising a boy can be equivalent to raising a girl, encouraging people to have girls again. For all marriages in India a dowry is expected to be given to the groom's family. For a poor family, the birth of a girl can signal the beginning of financial ruin and great hardship. The prohibition of dowry, which serves no purpose but to feed the greed of the groom's family should therefore be more strictly enforced. The punishment for the illegal practice of dowry should be made more severe so that people could fear demanding dowry. The police could investigate the reported cases of females being asked for too much dowry more strictly and charge the groom's family for it. A very effectual way to stop female infanticide would be by educating and empowering girls from a young age. An educated woman will be less likely to accept mistreatment from her husband and she will know her rights and responsibilities. Women also gain respect with an educational background. This is why the government needs to fund education for girls and encourage each and every one of them to go to school. In fact, school should be an obligation for girls. They should at least be enforced to finish 12th grade successfully. Girls could learn about their rights and responsibilities as citizens so they can stand up for themselves later and refuse to be sold like products. With education also comes a job. So for girls the best way to be able to provide for themselves or for their family is to get an education. . Educating men on the value of girls and women should also be a necessity because even if the women are prepared to understand and accept the need to change, the social situation and the family environment prevent them from doing so. Therefore, young married couples, pregnant women, and in laws should be given counselling so that they could understand and cope with the situation of having a girl. For the government these are not the hardest tasks to complete however, doubts arise about the government's desire to change India's beliefs on women and their rights. The government seems to believe what most Indians across the country believe.
While there are ways to abolish this issue, there are many reasons why it is difficult to do so. Culturally, sons are highly valued because they can provide income for their family. Daughters are considered to be a financial hazard because they are not able to contribute financially. Men are physically and emotionally stronger, therefore people prefer to have sons instead of daughter, who are weaker and do not have a strong willpower which makes parents unwilling to invest in their daughter's education, health, and development. Taking these things into consideration, when a female baby is born the entire family becomes distressed with foreshadowing the baby girl's life in the future. This is what triggers them to commit the barbarous act of killing an innocent and defenceless baby. For parents it might seem like a good idea to get rid of a soon to be economic burden, but long term problems arise from the elimination of female infants. The once-child policy in China has gotten many couples to get rid of their baby girls as well because they'd rather have a son as that one child that they are allowed to have. For the same reasons as the Indians, the Chinese prefer sons. The male to female ratio in China in 2000 was 1.06:1. (Cartwright, Earle, & Hurlington, 2002). This is very unusual and it is estimated that by the end of this century there will be an excess of 90 million unmarried men (Hesketh, Lu, & Xing, 2005). The crisis in China is a big example for India. If India wants millions of unmarried men, who are not able to find wives they should continue murdering baby girls. Undoubtedly, this is not what India wants and therefore the government should take action against it.
Although culture plays a big role in the decision of committing infanticide, economic reasons are what most people are concerned about. Female infanticide is a direct outcome of the dowry system that is followed in India. Although it has been made illegal it is experienced by a majority of the people. Dowry is a huge part of the Indian culture, which financially drains parents when they are getting their daughters married. The bride's family has to pay for all the wedding expenses and fulfill any wishes that the groom's family has. If they fail to do so, the bride will be mistreated and looked down upon by all of the family and relatives of the groom. Most people cannot afford to give dowry and therefore will not have daughters or they won't get their daughters married. If the practice of dowry continues to happen without the government doing more about it, India will sooner than they think experience an excess of unmarried males.
The government of India has made an effort to create awareness against the practice of prenatal determination of sex and female abortions. It is illegalized in all of India. The Department of Women and Child Development, which was set up in 1995 has launched some efforts to develop a positive image of the girls and women. They have tried to economically help girls and women. The government has also proposed to make orphanages to raise abandoned girls in the hope that the number of female infanticides will decrease. What is also being done is that law enforcements are treating every suspicious infant death as a homicide so that no one can just get away with a nice excuse. These solutions are a good start to try to abolish female infanticide. However, a lot more needs to be done in order for people in India start realizing that it is a brutal and unacceptable thing to do.
Female infanticide seems like a never ending cultural issue. Nevertheless, it is not impossible to diminish and eventually abolish it. An intensive effort involving the government is necessary to remove the gender-biased discrimination if the goal of a balanced sex ratio is to be achieved. The government needs to impose high taxes on families with boys so that raising a boy will economically be the same as raising a girl. The law against dowry should be enforced a lot more and the punishment for dowry should be made more severe. Massive awareness drive needs to be launched by educating and empowering women and girls all over the country. Girls should be obliged to go to school and finish at least 12th grade. Encouragement for girls to go to school could come from funding school for girls only. The long-term strategies are what are going to make the biggest difference and they should mainly include education and empowerment of women to heighten the status of women in India.
Furthermore, the people surrounding girls and women should also be given an education about female infanticide and why it is a horrendous act. Surely, the government cannot change the entire nation over-night but it can certainly take greater steps towards a better future for its own nation.
