यत्र नार्यस्तु पूज्यन्ते रमन्ते तत्र देवताः । यत्रैतास्तु न पूज्यन्ते सर्वास्तत्राफलाः क्रियाः ॥
This saying from Manusmriti means, The divine is extremely happy where women are respected; where they are not, all actions (projects) are fruitless. This must be a reminder to our society. We live in an era, when people are talking freely and powerfully about concepts of inclusion, equality, and equity, while there are still some ugly truths, which have not been eliminated from our systems, such as female Infanticide and Infeticide. Female infanticide refers to deliberately killing girl children after their birth, while Female Infeticde refers to the killing of girl children in the mother’s womb.
Indian Community is predominantly male-dominated. A boy child is considered a gift of GOD while a female child is considered a curse. Many women in our society are under the pressure of giving birth to a Vaaris ( Legal Heir), and only sons are considered heirs, and Girls are nothing but liabilities.
Before we even dwell into the dangerous effects of this crime and how shameful we must be as a country and a society to have allowed such a practice for this long, let us understand some figures, Female Infanticide/Feticide, though criminalized in our country are the most unreported crimes as per the National Crime Bureau. As per the United Nation’s Population fund survey in 2020, Nearly 4.6 crore (45.8 million) females are ‘missing’ in Indian demography in the year 2020, mainly due to pre and post-birth sex selection practices stemming from son preference and gender inequality. India is the second highest contributor to killing girl children in the world.
This malice creates a major demographic gender ratio imbalance in our country, thereby leading to increases in sexual crimes against women, child abuse, wife sharing, etc. This malice will alter the very fabric of Indian culture for the worst. It is a shame that a daughter has to be saved from her own family and not from any external threat.
Pre-Natal sex determination is illegal. refrain from doing it and ensure others don’t do the same as well. Let us become a nation where the women folk are respected honored and welcomed into this world with whole hearts.
Author: Vibha is an advocate by profession and a teacher by heart. She is the co founder of Legal Chap, a law-firm based in Bengaluru. She has been an active catalyst in the empowerment of children and women by advocating for their safety. She has led elaborate and interactive workshops and serves on the executive teams of non-profit organizations that promote child welfare and legal awareness.
