Infanticide

Despite the clear prohibitions against child-murder by all major religions, female infanticide has been for centuries a prominent and socially acceptable event, notably in one of the most populous countries in this world, India. Even today, the extent of the problem is measured in alarming proportions all around the globe: "at least 60 million females in Asia are missing and feared dead, victims of nothing more than their sex. Worldwide, research suggests, the number of missing females may top 100 million." The data is more astounding in India. According to the Census Report of 2001, for every 1000 males the number of females has decreased to 927 in 2001 from 945 in 1991 and continues to decrease. It is clear that the burdensome costs involved with the raising of a girl, eventually providing her an appropriate marriage dowry, was the single most important factor in allowing social acceptance of the murder at birth in India. Nonetheless, in addition to the dowry system, the reasons for this increasing trend have also been attributed to the patriarchal society, poverty and the availability of sex-selective abortion.

India 's population growth has been rapid, resulting from longer life expectancy and lower infant mortality in recent decades. Before independence, the high birth rates were balanced out by high death rates. In the half century since India gained independence from Great Britain in 1947, the average life expectancy has risen from just 39 years to 63 years, as high as that in Russia today. Conversely, after independence, the numbers changed but mortality rates dropped without a matching drop in birth rates. The perception of children became very different. The urban poor contributed most to the population and the reason for this is that they started viewing children as "sources of income rather an investment". They were seen as an old age security and the more the better. Furthermore, even though the mortality rate dropped, it was still relatively high compared to the survival rate. For this reason, fear of child death and contagious diseases caused the urban poor to contribute even more to the ever-increasing population. Part of the reason India is gaining on China as the most populous country in the world is that China has had very severe family planning laws, enforcing a one-child-per-family policy on most of the population. This policy was adopted because Chinese leaders anticipated that traditional large families would quickly overtax the country 's resources. While India has tried many approaches to limiting family sizes, this democratically governed country has not enforced strict limits as China has. Family planning has proceeded chiefly through education and health programs, which are effective but which break down traditions slowly.

India is an extremely conservative and patriarchal society. In this society, women are considered inferior to men in all regards. In most families, the first child is usually welcomed- with joy if it a boy, with sad acceptance if it is a girl. Females are unwanted at birth, ill-treated as infants, and not educated in childhood. Be as it may, preference for the male child is mainly dominant as it is related to the age-old Hindu myth that states, "a person 's soul is liberated only when a son performs the last death rites". (Dr. Madhumita Das, The Quest for a Male Child). In other words, the birth of a son assures the passage to heaven. The bias against females in India also relates to the fact that "Sons are called upon to provide the income; they are the ones who do most of the work in the fields. In this way, sons are looked to as a type of insurance. With this perspective, it becomes clearer that the high value given to males decreases the value given to females." (Marina Porras, Female Infanticide and Foeticide.)

Since prehistoric times, the supply of food has been a constant check on human population growth. One way to control the lethal effects of starvation was to restrict the number of children allowed to survive to adulthood. In Charles Darwin 's The Descent of Man, Darwin believed that infanticide, "especially of female infants", was the most important restraint on the proliferation of early man. It seems like the Indian community as whole took Darwin 's theory to heart. As mentioned before, India is one of the most populous countries on earth, having crossed the one billion landmark. Infanticide is rife among the poorer population, as it has at times been necessary for survival of the community at large. Though that might be the case, there are instances where it has been related to the general societal prejudice against females, which characterizes most male-dominated cultures. Males are looked upon to carry on the linage- hence they get priority over females any given day.

The major difference between the nature of infanticide in the twentieth century, when compared to the rest of recorded history, is due to the impact of one modern medical advancement: the widespread availability of safe, and legal, means of abortion. The ability to easily identify the gender of the fetus by means of ultrasound and so forth and terminate a pregnancy, thereby eliminating an unwanted child before it is born, has had a profound effect on the prevalence of infanticide. The majority of these murders have been associated with reasons of necessity - at least in the minds of the infanticide parent. To those who can afford it, it has been the easiest way to dispose of the "inconvenience". For those with little ability to abort an unwanted pregnancy safely, troubled parents – that accounts for the majority of the poor people - have had little choice but to wait until full-term delivery before killing the child.

The low status of Indian women makes them insignificant compared to the males in the marriage market. In lieu of this, Indian women are looked upon as a burden rather than a blessing to the family as the dowry system is still rampant in India. As said before, parents fear the birth of a girl as dowry has to be arranged at the time of marriage and the higher the social status of the family the more dowry is demanded. As a small dowry is believed to bring shame upon the family, it can very well cripple a family 's finances to get their daughter married off. Female infanticide is often considered the only option for the poorer families who face this dilemma.

The methods for killing the baby infants were extremely primitive. Local nurses and midwives allegedly poisoned or gagged female babies immediately after birth. In addition, to prevent the infant from crying, concentrated salt water was fed at regular intervals to melt the tiny vocal cords. Sometimes the baby was smothered to death even before the mother regained consciousness. Girls up to 5 years of age would be choked to death by stuffing their mouths with hard foodstuff which were difficult to swallow, effectively blocking their windpipes. In some regions the infant 's collar bones were snapped, making it possible to seal the baby in a clay pot and later tossing it in a river. Sometimes the neck may be wrung like a chickens thus breaking the collar bones and blocking the supply of blood to the brain. And lastly, leaving the umbilical cord loose so that the baby bleeds to death was also a typical method for killing the baby. (Dr. Madhumita Das, The Quest for a Male Child)

The publication of the Census Report, 2001 has fortunately come as a wake-up call to the Indian government, as well as to the medical fraternity and all concerned people. The Pre-natal Diagnostics Techniques Act, passed in 1996 bans the use of ultrasound, amniocentesis, and other prenatal diagnostic techniques for sex determination. It states that these are meant only to detect fetal disorders and declares that all clinics with such facilities must be registered to avoid penalties. On the other hand, new technologies are emerging all the time and the government has now ordered stricter implementation of the Act, and intends to pass amendments keeping that fact in mind. (Dr. Madhumita Das, " The Quest for a Male Child").

In addition, the government has issued a number of advertisements in national newspapers, periodicals, and magazines to mobilize public opinion against female infanticide. It has also announced that all nursing homes and medical organizations must put up signboards stating that no sex determination is done on the premises. Nevertheless, doctors conducting sex determination tests, and the women opting for this test are willing partners in the act and keep the offence behind closed doors. The government has now decided to take a pro-active role and send out "decoy" customers to catch doctors and technicians conducting such tests red-handed. (Dr. Madhumita Das, " The Quest for a Male Child"). A number of non-governmental organizations have also initiated preventative measures and developed programs to prevent female infanticide. They offer counseling, monetary incentives, childcare support, health education, and so forth to expectant mothers. A successful program is the Danida Healthcare Project 's street theatre. The stories, performed, involve female empowerment and value. According to the project director, Sheela Rani Chunkath, within the six months of street theatre performances, more than eighty female babies were allowed to survive in families in which previous girl babies were killed. (Shoba Warrier, "Again a girl! Are you not ashamed of yourself?")

The urge to reform has to come from within the community. The problem lies in the fact that no formal complaints are being lodged against the perpetrators. In order to deal with this ever-increasing trend, firstly, there has to be an immediate redress of the misery by creating a public opinion against the same. This will help victims forced to undergo the trauma to come up with evidence. The government must show the political will and a high degree of social and legal commitment to crack down on the offenders. Secondly, a permanent and long-term solution should be established to social problems like dowry, poverty, and the patriarchal society as a whole. If possible, the dowry system should be eradicated and women should be given the right to choose their own destiny – not just to follow her fellow men. The key here is to raise the status of women in the eyes of this male dominated society. Wages equal to men and no discrimination in employment and so forth will go a long way in improving the status of women .As population inadvertently leads to poverty, stricter population control techniques should be established. Family- planning should be advertised countrywide to give people knowledge about the benefits of family planning.

The decrease in the female sex ratio from to 927 in 2001 from 945 in 1991 as revealed in the Census Report of 2001, has brought into focus the terrible practices of female infanticide in India today. The patriarchal society, dowry system, poverty, and sex- selective abortion are to be blamed for this ever-increasing dilemma. Fortunately, the government and social reformers have started doing their share in preventing this trend but stricter implementations are required for the policies to be effective. As mentioned before the urge has to come from within the society itself and only then it will augur well for future generations of Indian girls, yet to be born.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. "The Quest for a Male Child", article by Dr. Madhumita Das. http://www.siyanda.org/forumdocs/si20031107025140.doc

2. "Female Infanticide and Foeticide", article by Marina Porras.

3. "Again a girl! Are you not ashamed of yourself?", article by Shoba Warrier

4. The Census Report, 2001 : A Government of India Publication

5. Case Study : Female Infanticide – www.gendercide.org

6. "History of Infanticide", article by Dr. Larry S.Milner. http://www.infanticide.org/history.htm

7. "Female Infanticide" - http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/femaleinfanticide.html
8. "Darwin and the Descent of Morality", opinion by Benjamin Wiker - http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0111/opinion/wiker.html
9. "India 's Population Passes 1 Billion" http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/pae/es_map/articles/article_48.mhtml

Bibliography: 1. "The Quest for a Male Child", article by Dr. Madhumita Das. http://www.siyanda.org/forumdocs/si20031107025140.doc 2. "Female Infanticide and Foeticide", article by Marina Porras. 3. "Again a girl! Are you not ashamed of yourself?", article by Shoba Warrier 4. The Census Report, 2001 : A Government of India Publication 5. Case Study : Female Infanticide – www.gendercide.org 6. "History of Infanticide", article by Dr. Larry S.Milner. http://www.infanticide.org/history.htm 7. "Female Infanticide" - http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/femaleinfanticide.html 8. "Darwin and the Descent of Morality", opinion by Benjamin Wiker - http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0111/opinion/wiker.html 9. "India 's Population Passes 1 Billion" http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/pae/es_map/articles/article_48.mhtml