As Governments continue to consider the issue of violence against women and girls at CSW57 in New York, Sujatha Balakrishnan, President of SI Bangalore, examines the burning issue of female feticide in India.
As early as the fifteenth century, Guru Nanak, a progressive champion of gender equality, said ‘from women, man is born….from her, kings are born. From woman, woman is born, without women, there would be no one at all’. Unfortunately, more than 500 years later, Guru Nanak’s dream for a world with gender equality remains the same, a dream.
The worst form of violence against women begins from the time of conception itself in the form of female feticide. This is a harsh reminder that the women continue to be the target of cultural stereotypes. Women are subjected to violence at the fetal stage, irrespective of caste, creed, religion and time frame. This grassroots problem has to be addressed and arrested, if we are to maintain gender balance.
Dowry and family lineage
The two reasons for female feticide can be classified into dowry and family lineage. Dowry is the form of monetary demand made by the groom’s family from the bride’s parents. It remains prevalent in India, despite the passing of the Dowry prohibition Act in 1961. Particularly for poor families, dowries are a heavy economic burden. Further, if the dowry demand is not fulfilled by the girl’s family, the bride is done to death by the husband’s family through various horrendous acts.
The other reason is family lineage. When a woman is pregnant, the elders in the family bless her with a boy baby. The woman, along with her husband, visits temples for begetting a boy child. Surprisingly, the woman herself is an accomplice to this age-old superstition. Parents prefer to have a male child as he is going to the caretaker, when they grow old, as daughters will be married and will seldom have time to look after them.
‘Vamsha Vriddhi’ (family lineage) can be achieved only if it is a boy. Despite the prenatal diagnostic techniques (prohibition of sex selection) Act, 1994, this heinous crime continues. Sex determination tests continue to be a booming business. Most of us have a misconstrued notion that it is in the rural areas that female feticide is more rampant than in urban areas. But it has come to light that even educated families – doctors, professors, and other professionals – are involved in this female feticide scandal. The demand for the sex determination ultra sound machinery has increased in hospitals and has become a commercial racket at the cost of innocent fetuses. It is heartbreaking that society is a silent spectator to this heinous act.
India’s missing women
Let us now take a quick glance at the sex ratio. For every 1000 males, India has approximately 930 females. Amartya Sen calls this India’s missing women. This may seem very less for a thousand, but when we compute the mismatch for the entire population of India which is 1.2 bil, we have 70 million missing women. This is equivalent to the entire population of France.
Article 14 of the Indian Constitution promises the right to equality for every citizen and Article 21 of the Indian Constitution protects the right to life. Isn’t it a glaring reality that sex determination is a violation of these two acts? Is the fetus not considered a citizen because it is still in the mother’s womb? If fetuses are to be saved and protected, the Article should include the following—right to be born as a girl and a right to live a life with dignity and equality. Ironically, laws are enacted, passed and amended at the LOSS of innocent lives.
Solutions and hope
Despite these shortcomings, there are many stories of hope which gives one the confidence that the United Nations Millennium Development Goal 3, which aims at gender equality and women empowerment can be achieved. It is indeed heartening to see the change in Indian villages too. The UNFPA’S online video channel ‘embrace girls’ documents the story of a pregnant woman in a village in Western India, who refuses to abort her girl baby and boldly joins a local group of spirited women to stop the atrocity of female feticide. Not to forget the Gulabhi Gang, a group of women in Northern India, who fight for women’s rights and do not tolerate any form of violence against them. The sex ratio of Nawansahr in Julha Majra village in Punjab is EQUAL. This clearly shows that deep-rooted cultural change is possible. Each one of us could take a page from these women who are from a rural background.
Laws should be stringent and implemented effectively for the benefit of the victim. To cite an example, if a medical practitioner is caught in a sex determination act, he should be dealt with an iron hand, including the cancellation of his medical license. Parents are accomplices in this crime, and should be punished. These strong deterrents will make doctors and parents think twice before committing these barbaric acts.
Besides, governing bodies, NGOs, awareness groups, health groups and women’s welfare groups should work hand in hand to bring about the necessary change needed to eliminate this violence against fetuses.
It is high time that the patriarchal society is replaced by an egalitarian one in the truest sense of the word and for this women themselves should first learn to exercise their right.