Is Womb Becoming Tomb to Girl Foetus?

India ,despite its democratic nature, is no exception to the horrors of age old customs. Female infanticide and female foeticide are among them. India ranks  4th among world countries in  sex selective abortions.

Kids who fall under 0 to 1years age group are considered infants. Some nations put the upper cap at 6 years . Female foeticide is nothing but the killing of the female  foetus while it’s in the mother’s womb after detection-thanks to the diagnostic tool Ultrasound. Advancement in medical technology too has proven to be bane for women

The ever widening  gender ratio gap- the number of females per thousand males- is alarming. Here are the startling figures:The low sex ratio is in southern states of India with an exception of Kerala is a matter of concern.  Telangana(985), Andhra Pradesh (993),Tamil Nadu(996) and  Karnataka (973) are battling to bridge the while Kerala is trying retain the ratio(1084).

In India towns are not in variance with villages in inheriting orthodoxy. Poverty  and illiteracy make them glued to superstitions. Patriarchy makes them obsessive of having sons alone.

As a result, there is continuous drop in the births of female children. Even when they are allowed to be born, they are haunted every where. Poor and under privileged women are abused, bought, sold and trafficked . Also, there are adverse effects on women’s health mentally, emotionally and physically. Education in men make them no different. They equally lack scientific temperament.

The falling of sex ratio is a cause of concern for the policy makers of our country.  Though legislations like pre conceptional and pre natal diagnostic techniques (PCPNDT) act (2013), MTP act (1971) have been made to punish the medical practitioners who help out in female foeticide, the impact is still dismal.  Campaigns like Beti Bachao, Beti Padao have remained hallow political slogans.

Sections like 315 of IPC, which talks about punishment for preventing a child to be born alive or causing it to die after birth is less used. Thoug  Articles like 42 A and 21 talk about “right to be born and right to live” as integrated rights of the child, they are not preventing female infanticide.  Also the Hindu inheritance and succession laws which are based on the Indian joint family system needs to be reviewed to overcome issues like child marriage, girl education and also for the  empowerment of woman.

Inspite of above regulations, the hate for girl child is so severely rooted in people’s mind that they even travel abroad to abort their babies as laws in our country are stringent. Some steps have to be taken by the government of India to stop this kind of reproductive tourism. Campaigns to this effect must be propagated to curtail the female deaths and to encourage the female births to see an upward trend in female population.

For growth and development to happen, as individuals, we need to go beyond  being “just sensitive” and reflect deep into the matter. We cannot simply say, that law will take its own course. A more proactive approach with an effective plan of action is needed from our government and society, so that women can remain alive atleast.

For all of this to be fruitful, women should stand up for themselves so that they come out of this misery. Women should also stop considering themselves as the inferior gender  in the society and should “up” their standards to have a more nuanced life in all fields of activity.

                                                -Internship Wing, A.P.College of Journalism