: Female Infanticide in India : ReportBy Manushri Bahukhandi : : "Lakshmi gave birth to five daughters, only two survive. The other : three are all victims of infanticide, killed at birth over the last : four years. The method they employed was to mix sleeping tablets in : milk and feed it to the baby. The last girl child was killed some time : in October 1997. Even as Lakshmi cried while she spoke her desire to : have a son remained strong. The reason for killing was : purely 'financial.' Since Lakshmi and Raja* live in a small village of : marginal farmers. They own a little over half an acre of dry land on : which they cultivate groundnut in order to supplement their income, : they work as agricultural labourers. Both are uneducated like most of : the adults in the village." -- Female Infanticide Vol XIII : : Forget Miss Universe pageants, forget Women's Day, forget free : Internet connections for women. The stark reality is that India today : tops the list in illegal abortions and female infanticide in the : world. A CMJI report quoting UNICEF says, 40-50 million girls have : gone 'missing' in India in 1990. They are termed as missing as they : were either murdered at the time of their birth or within few hours of : birth. : : Women who assist in childbirth, snuff out newborn females : : In fact the very women who assist in the birth of a child are the ones : who are paid to finish off unwanted female babies. On payment of a fee : that can range between Rs. 60-150, these dais kill the female babies : the moment they are born. : : The methods adopted to kill newborns are many. In south Indian states : like Tamil Nadu, children are either fed the milk of poisonous plants : or covered with a wet towel so that they die later of complications : from cold. : : In Bihar, holding the baby from the waist and shaking it back and : forth snaps the spinal chord. Sometimes a child is stuffed in a clay : pot. Babies are also fed with salt to increase their blood pressure, : death follows in a few minutes. Grains of paddy husk are also fed to : slit the tender gullet. : : According to a report in Nexus, in a certain block in Katihar : district, 35 dais accepted having killed three to four babies a month, : making the total number of female babies who are killed approximately : 560 per month. Ten dais in the Sitamarhi districts claim to have : killed 1-2 babies a month. In this state alone there are approximately : five lakhs dais and the number of female babies killed can just be : imagined. : : These dais are the only link between the family and the mother and a : great amount of pressure is put on the dai to kill the baby if the : baby is a female. : : Female infanticide is leading to a serious imbalance in the sex ratio : in the country : : Female infanticide is leading to a serious imbalance in the sex ration : in the country. According to the 1991 statistics for out of every : 1,000 males there are only 929 girls and by 2001 there will be only : 920 women for 1,000 males. In stark contrast, countries like Western : Europe and US the sex ratio is 1,064 and 1,054 respectively. (Sex : ratio patterns in the Indian population; Satish Agnihotri) : : Even in the present 'modern' age there are 4 villages out of every 10 : districts in Punjab, where the sex ratio is for every 1000 boys there : are only 800 girls. Even the neighboring state of Haryana is not far : behind where are 4 districts that have highly disproportionate sex : ratio. : : Why are females killed? : : "The birth of a girl, grant elsewhere; here, grant a boy" [Atharva : Veda] The history of female infanticide can be traced back to the : Vedic period. Instances of gender discrimination are found in the : writings of Manu. The guiding philosophy is that the female is under : the custody of males from womb to tomb. : : In a patriarchal society like India age-old traditions coupled with : high demand for dowry have resulted in the perpetuation of the : centuries-old practice of infanticide. : : The general attitude against women is responsible for the backwardness : of the women folk, especially in the states of Tamil Nadu and Bihar. : In Rajasthan, where the Rajputs, traditionally a warrior caste, are in : a majority, daughters are seen as a burden. : : According to some experts, this practice found its way into urban : areas due to the upper caste phenomena. : : According to Sudipta Mukopadhay, Programme Assistant of Gender Equity : and Justice, "The only difference between the urban and rural : infanticide killing is that due to sophisticated technology available : in urban areas there is foeticide and in rural areas there is : infanticide." : : So, the theory that infanticide is practiced more by uneducated rural : folk holds no water. : : Even while writing this piece the lives of hundreds of female babies : are being snuffed out. Unless there is a radical change in the : mindsets of the people, the evil practice will continue to finish off : innocent lives - for the only fault of being born a female. : : : : <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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