EXISTENCE....

If my family had been uneducated, entrenched in the patriarchal ways of thinking and steeped in the mire of traditionalist thoughts, the possibility of me not seeing the light of day would have been very high. Why? Because I am female.



Sex ratio in India is getting more and more disproportionate over the years. Unfortunately the educated and the elite still seem to consider their male child a status symbol, and thereby partake in creating an imbalance in the male-female sex ratio. The sex ratio in India stands at 933:1000 (i.e. for every 1000 male births, there are 933 female births), with the Union territory of Daman and Diu dropping to a pathetic 710:1000. This has more to do with misplaced human pride and intervention as opposed to a hapless X-chromosome bonding with another X-chromosome.






Innovation in medical science and technology has made it easy to determine a fetus’ condition. The technology used for this purpose is called prenatal diagnosis and proved itself as a boon for pregnancy care. However, it is being misused on a large scale in India, as a result of the widespread preference of male child over a female child in the Indian society. Indian laws have been enacted to curb the practice of female foeticide in India.





It is worth noting that the crude practice is being given a boost by medical practitioners themselves. In the attempt to make big bucks, several medical professionals, including doctors and clinics, are willing to disclose illegal information about gender of the fetus to the families. This results in abortion of the fetus, if it happens to be a girl. Such practice by the medical practitioners is not only a violation of the human rights law, but also an abuse of the code of ethics and conduct of medical profession.

In India,  the birth of a son is considered to be essential in family life, particularly among Hindu families.  Female babies and girl foeticide have taken place since time immemorial. Religious and caste based faiths have lowered the status of the girl child in India, even among well-to-do, educated Indian families.


Female babies are endangered by these mistaken beliefs. The practice of dowry has spread to nearly all communities irrespective of region or religion. Many Indian families dread the birth of a daughter. In some parts of the country, there are advertisements for sex-determination tests though it is banned by laws in India.  


“Modernization of the economy and industry must go hand in hand with modernization of outlook and attitude, which, in a civilized society, give equal importance to children irrespective of their gender.” – Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India.


Such serious social issues make us think a hundred times before we call ourselves citizens of a developed progressive nation of the 21st century trying to live with the illusion that we are at par with the developed giants of the world. We have developed technologically, no doubt, but are we putting these technological developments in proper use? 


Reasons for selective abortions are many, from carrying the family name forward, lighting the funeral pyre to hoping for a male breadwinner in the family. But the reason, which tops the list, is dowry - a price paid by the parents to marry off their daughters. Despite a law banning sex selective abortion is in force for a decade, as many as half a million female foetuses are aborted each year in the country. The Indian Govt. banned sex determination tests at national level in 1994 with the Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) act, but the laws ineffectiveness is proved by the report that claim that Indian women in UK come to India to abort their female foetus to have more boys.





Can We Usher in An Era of Change?



To bring about change in our thinking and prejudices, we need to question what we believe now. We need dedicated medical professionals who will create awareness about the dangers of female feticide. We need responsible decision makers and citizens to begin media and grass root campaigns across the country to create better awareness about treating the birth of a girl with joy than fear. We need to do so much more to make a difference and stop incidents of female foeticide.

Its high time that India confronts this problem and the Govt. needs to fasten its belt, since the continuation of such practice despite the ban underlines the inefficiency of the govt. policies to stop women from turning their womb into graves.

Though India has a history of skewed female sex ratio, what the country is witnessing today is the systematic extermination of the female child, with the ultrasound machine serving as an instrument of murder. if the macabre practice continues, it would spell doom for both sons and daughters and will have a disastrous impact on the future generations.

It is a shame that in a country like India where we worship ‘Shakti’ or the female form the very existence of the females is being threatened.