Female Infanticide

Female Feticide and Infanticide
Crime against women is an issue of national shame. However, gender selective abortions
and infanticide are even more despicable. Now a day millions of girls are missing in India. Study
explores the main cause related to the issue of female infanticide and feticide, which increase the
imbalance in sex ratio, social violence, negligence of women’s in our society, injustice etc. Most
broadly defined infanticide; applies to the killing of baby girl due to preference of baby boy.
Most strictly defined feticide; as an act that causes the death of a fetus. Research analyzes the
main problem related to infanticide and feticide like, lack of education, societies are fascinated
about male child because they think that only male child is source of family income, only male
child can support economically, socially and emotionally, according to Hindu mythology,
parents cannot obtain salvation unless they have a son to perform their last rites, girl child
increases their economic burden to obey the social norms like dowry etc., poverty is also a big
problem related to the practice of female infanticide and feticide. No doubt, if this practice
continues it will disturb the social balance and harmony of the society and it may lead to social
problems like increase in sexual offences, sharing of women within and outside wedlock and it
creates greater insecurity against women.
Women are subject to various forms of violence in all societies across the world. Among
them, gender selective violence is insidious. Female foeticide and infanticide are the two forms
of gender selective violence that are prevalent in developing countries like India (Sarna, 2003). It
cuts across barriers like castes, class and communities (Tandon and Sharma, 2006). Until few
years back, this practice was restricted to few states but it has now spread all over the country.
Research studies of numerous scholars‟ shows that advance in modern medical sciences are
being misused for knowing the sex of the foetus with the intention of aborting it if it happens to
be that of a female (Kulkarni, 1986; Diaz, 1988; Gangrade, 1988 and Bandewar, 2003). This
heinous crime has gone unchecked despite enactment of laws preventing the same. While
protecting the human rights of women has received much attention, at the same time some
people have also got the right, to be inhuman and commit female foeticide and infanticide
unabashedly. The research could also find contemporary cases of female infanticide in parts of
western Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh. In addition,
female members of the family usually receive inferior treatment regarding food, medication, and
education (Kynch & Sen, 1983). The girl children become target of attack even before they are
born. Diaz, (1988) states that in a well-known Abortion Centre in Mumbai, after undertaking the
sex determination tests, out of the 15,914 abortions performed during 1984-85 almost 100 per
cent were those of girl fetuses. Similarly, a survey report of women’s centre in Mumbai
foundthat out of 8,000 fetuses aborted in six city hospitals 7,999 fetuses were of girls (Gangrade,
1988: 63-70).
In India, the causes of female foeticide and infanticide are multifaceted (Venkatramani,
1986; Iyengar, 1993; Venkatachalam, 1993; Aravamudan, 1994, Harris- White, 1997; Jain, 1999;
George, 2000; Agnihotri, 2003; Sarna, 2003; Patel, 2004; Sharma and Jain, 2005; Pande and
Malhotra, 2006; Aravamudan, 2007). The important causes of female foeticide and infanticide as
revealed by studies made by these authors are as follows:
1) Son mania: Indian society is patrilineal, patriarchal and patrilocal. Among the Hindus,
the reproduction and heredity beliefs are governed by the laws of Manu (Corcos, 1984).
Following this law, Hindus believe that a man cannot attain redemption unless he has a son to
light his funeral pyre. Besides religious consideration, economic, social and emotional desires
favour males, as parents expect sons but non daughters to provide financial support, especially in
their old age.
2) Girl as a “burden”: The evil of dowry system has led to a belief that daughters have to
be protected and sufficient financial resources have to be accumulated to support the marriage of
the girl. Boys on the other hand are considered as assets, who fetch a fabulous dowry for the
parents. This has created a stereo-type notion of girl as a “burden” on the household.
3) Education and the gender skew: Contrary to the popular belief, Gita Aravamudan‟s
research shows an adverse link between education and the gender skew (Aravamudan, 2007).
The more educated a women is, the more likely she is to actively choose a boy, assuming that
she decides to have one child. The only educated women likely to keep daughters are the very
independent minded. Educated men, especially in the business class, also want to have sons to
carry on their business.
4) Marginalization of women in agriculture: Although women contribute far more to the

agricultural production, they are by far largest group of landless labourers with little real
security. Modernization of agriculture alleviates the burden of tasks that are traditionally men‟s
responsibility leaving women‟s burden unrelieved. In some regions, the bias has led to shift from
subsistence food (often women‟s crops) to cash crops(often men‟s crops). The systematic
marginalization of women in Indian agriculture has led to an increase in violence against women
including the epidemic of female feticide.
5) Misuse of technology: The tests like Amniocentesis and ultrasonography, which were
originally designed for detection of congenital abnormalities of the foetus, are being misused for
knowing the sex of the foetus with the intention of aborting it if it happens to be that of a female
(Patel, 1984). Thus, female feticide and infanticide is receiving fillip through misuse of
technology, done surreptitiously with the active connivance of the service providers.
6) Weak implementation of laws: The Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and

Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994, prohibits determination of sex of the foetus. It also provides for
mandatory registration of genetic counseling centers, clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, etc.
However, the implementation of the law is weak and it has not been used to the fullest. The focus
has been only on the registration of the number of ultrasound machines and not on the actual act
of abortions of female fetuses. Furthermore, in several cases the accused have not been booked
under relevant sections of the Act. The genocide of girl child, which continues unabated in the
country, has led to skewed sex ratio in the country. The 2001 Census figures point to a sex ratio
for 0-6 age group of around 927 females per 1000 males (See Table 3). According to some rough
estimates from civil registration of births, the present sex ratio has declined to almost 882
females per 1000 males. Assuming an average of 900 females per 1000 males, this point out that
almost 10 per cent of females are missing, that would amount to extermination of almost one
million women every year.

Female Infanticide

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Female Feticide and Infanticide

4) Marginalization of women in agriculture: Although women contribute far more to the

6) Weak implementation of laws: The Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and

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