Female Infanticide and Unfair Cultural Practices
“Historically, women
are seen are naturally disruptive and their status is an illegal one from birth
if it is not under the rule of men.”- Toni Morrison
The barbaric killing of girls in India was recently highlighted when a baby girl was found buried alive in a cemetery. The cry of the child alerted mourners who had gone to the cemetery to bury their deceased child. Sadly, the lack of international condemnation and outrage has been deafening. In India, female infanticide is still widely prevalent in parts of northwestern India where thousands of newborns or female fetuses are killed every year. This heinous practice has led the United Nations (UN) to declare India as the “most deadly country for female children”. The UN also estimates that in India, a female child between the ages of 1 and 5 has a 75% greater chance of dying than a male child. Female infanticide and foeticide are common practices across Asia in countries like Nepal, South Korea, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China where thousands of selective abortions on girls are conducted each year. There are different classifications of infanticide. Neonaticide occurs when there is a deliberate killing of an infant within 24 hours of birth. Filicide is the intentional killing of a child by a parent. There are many reasons for female infanticide stemming from cultural, to religious to government policies aimed at population control. Confucianism view male children as more desirable since they are expected to provide security for the elderly, work and are important for the continuation of ancestral rites. In China, for example with the One Child per Child in 1979 there was an increase in female infanticide. According to Hindu religion, women are a lower incarnations than men of the same caste. In those societies daughters are viewed as financial burden on the family given the expensive dowry needed to get married. It is a century old phenomena caused by social evils such as poverty, illiteracy, child marriage, dowry system, births to unmarried women, female genital mutilation, period poverty, famine, maternal illness, sex-selective abortion, etc. These barbaric practices are still rampant in India, forcing people to commit social evils like female infanticide and female feticide. With the advent of modern technology and the use of ultrasound many families are now able to see the sex of the unborn child and sex-selective abortions have become popular in India. On the other hands, sons bring in dowry wealth into the family. Males are viewed as assets rather than a liability. In Indian society a woman’s social status is dependent upon that of her husband. In the tradition of the culture a widowed women is expected to commit sati rather than returning to her birth family. Infanticide is the willfully killing of a child within the first year of its life. Female infanticide is the deliberate killing of baby girls. The practice of infanticide is illegal throughout the world. In 1870, the British outlawed the practice in India but this has not prevented the practice of female infanticide. Female infanticide is often rooted in centuries old patriarchal cultural and religious norms. The practice is usually common in societies with a strong patriarchal bias and where parliamentarians for the most part are overwhelmingly males. Females in India are extremely vulnerable. Girls are not safe and girls from poverty-stricken families are even more vulnerable. They are often subjected to different kinds of harm, neglect, and violence in the form of abuse, harassment, domestic violence and rape. Collectively, the society is socialized to believe that girls will eventually get married and go to another household and serve them. Therefore, girls are often considered a financial burden. Educating them is not deemed necessary and their opinions don’t matter. This is one of the major reasons for preferring a son over a daughter. The practice of female infanticide has transcended continents. In Benin, in Africa infanticide is also practiced. Unless a baby is born head first and face upwards, many communities in northern Benin believe the child is a witch or sorcerer. This backward tradition demands that the infant must be killed, sometimes by spilling its brains out against a tree trunk. In the eyes of the Baatonou, Boko and Peul people, a child whose birth and early development deviates in any way from the accepted norm is cursed and must be destroyed. There are too many unacceptable social and cultural practices globally which are discriminatory against women and girls. It is sad that the political will of governments needed to protect the most vulnerable is absent most our societies.
Re-fashioning a Culture of Gender Equality
Long standing cultural and societal issues such as female infanticide which are discriminatory towards women and girls must be addressed in a more robust manner by the United Nations (UN). This form of discrimination and abuse against girls should be viewed as crimes against humanity. It’s commendable for the UN to do the reports but the United Nations should also engage those countries where this practice still exists. We need to envision a future whereby the rights of women and girls are placed on the fore front of global discourse. Governments need to work more assiduously to ensure that girls are protected from cultural, religious and socio-economic barriers which are erected for the sole purpose to control and keep women subservient and voiceless. Perhaps the time is now to establish an international platform which safeguards the rights of women and girls is now. It is disappointing that India which has had a female Prime Minister in none other than Indira Gandhi is still practicing female infanticide. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #4 and #5 which addresses the quality of education and gender equality clearly are still being paid lip service to especially in those countries which are still practicing female infanticide. Much more work is required to empower women and girls. Development will continue to be an illusion until and unless gender is seriously interrogated and the discriminatory practices dealt with. Unfair social norms and practices must be addressed. Governments must be called out for failure to do more to protect the most vulnerable in our societies. What is needed is a culture to reverse centuries old anti-female sentiments. We need to re-fashion and re-envision a world in which the opinions of girls are valued as much as boys. We need to value and protect our girls from the social evils of the society. Governments can and should do more to facilitate more public spaces for the voices of girls to be heard. Sustainable development will continue to be elusive in societies which fail to build a consensus which protects the rights of women and girls. There can be no development without the inclusion and commitment of gender as a critical indicator to fashion such progress.
waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo
#femaleinfanticide #feticide #genderequality #religion #culture #UN #development
The barbaric killing of girls in India was recently highlighted when a baby girl was found buried alive in a cemetery. The cry of the child alerted mourners who had gone to the cemetery to bury their deceased child. Sadly, the lack of international condemnation and outrage has been deafening. In India, female infanticide is still widely prevalent in parts of northwestern India where thousands of newborns or female fetuses are killed every year. This heinous practice has led the United Nations (UN) to declare India as the “most deadly country for female children”. The UN also estimates that in India, a female child between the ages of 1 and 5 has a 75% greater chance of dying than a male child. Female infanticide and foeticide are common practices across Asia in countries like Nepal, South Korea, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China where thousands of selective abortions on girls are conducted each year. There are different classifications of infanticide. Neonaticide occurs when there is a deliberate killing of an infant within 24 hours of birth. Filicide is the intentional killing of a child by a parent. There are many reasons for female infanticide stemming from cultural, to religious to government policies aimed at population control. Confucianism view male children as more desirable since they are expected to provide security for the elderly, work and are important for the continuation of ancestral rites. In China, for example with the One Child per Child in 1979 there was an increase in female infanticide. According to Hindu religion, women are a lower incarnations than men of the same caste. In those societies daughters are viewed as financial burden on the family given the expensive dowry needed to get married. It is a century old phenomena caused by social evils such as poverty, illiteracy, child marriage, dowry system, births to unmarried women, female genital mutilation, period poverty, famine, maternal illness, sex-selective abortion, etc. These barbaric practices are still rampant in India, forcing people to commit social evils like female infanticide and female feticide. With the advent of modern technology and the use of ultrasound many families are now able to see the sex of the unborn child and sex-selective abortions have become popular in India. On the other hands, sons bring in dowry wealth into the family. Males are viewed as assets rather than a liability. In Indian society a woman’s social status is dependent upon that of her husband. In the tradition of the culture a widowed women is expected to commit sati rather than returning to her birth family. Infanticide is the willfully killing of a child within the first year of its life. Female infanticide is the deliberate killing of baby girls. The practice of infanticide is illegal throughout the world. In 1870, the British outlawed the practice in India but this has not prevented the practice of female infanticide. Female infanticide is often rooted in centuries old patriarchal cultural and religious norms. The practice is usually common in societies with a strong patriarchal bias and where parliamentarians for the most part are overwhelmingly males. Females in India are extremely vulnerable. Girls are not safe and girls from poverty-stricken families are even more vulnerable. They are often subjected to different kinds of harm, neglect, and violence in the form of abuse, harassment, domestic violence and rape. Collectively, the society is socialized to believe that girls will eventually get married and go to another household and serve them. Therefore, girls are often considered a financial burden. Educating them is not deemed necessary and their opinions don’t matter. This is one of the major reasons for preferring a son over a daughter. The practice of female infanticide has transcended continents. In Benin, in Africa infanticide is also practiced. Unless a baby is born head first and face upwards, many communities in northern Benin believe the child is a witch or sorcerer. This backward tradition demands that the infant must be killed, sometimes by spilling its brains out against a tree trunk. In the eyes of the Baatonou, Boko and Peul people, a child whose birth and early development deviates in any way from the accepted norm is cursed and must be destroyed. There are too many unacceptable social and cultural practices globally which are discriminatory against women and girls. It is sad that the political will of governments needed to protect the most vulnerable is absent most our societies.
Re-fashioning a Culture of Gender Equality
Long standing cultural and societal issues such as female infanticide which are discriminatory towards women and girls must be addressed in a more robust manner by the United Nations (UN). This form of discrimination and abuse against girls should be viewed as crimes against humanity. It’s commendable for the UN to do the reports but the United Nations should also engage those countries where this practice still exists. We need to envision a future whereby the rights of women and girls are placed on the fore front of global discourse. Governments need to work more assiduously to ensure that girls are protected from cultural, religious and socio-economic barriers which are erected for the sole purpose to control and keep women subservient and voiceless. Perhaps the time is now to establish an international platform which safeguards the rights of women and girls is now. It is disappointing that India which has had a female Prime Minister in none other than Indira Gandhi is still practicing female infanticide. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #4 and #5 which addresses the quality of education and gender equality clearly are still being paid lip service to especially in those countries which are still practicing female infanticide. Much more work is required to empower women and girls. Development will continue to be an illusion until and unless gender is seriously interrogated and the discriminatory practices dealt with. Unfair social norms and practices must be addressed. Governments must be called out for failure to do more to protect the most vulnerable in our societies. What is needed is a culture to reverse centuries old anti-female sentiments. We need to re-fashion and re-envision a world in which the opinions of girls are valued as much as boys. We need to value and protect our girls from the social evils of the society. Governments can and should do more to facilitate more public spaces for the voices of girls to be heard. Sustainable development will continue to be elusive in societies which fail to build a consensus which protects the rights of women and girls. There can be no development without the inclusion and commitment of gender as a critical indicator to fashion such progress.
In the
profound words of Kofi Annan, gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It
is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting
sustainable development and building good governance.
Wayne
Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an
interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues.waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo
#femaleinfanticide #feticide #genderequality #religion #culture #UN #development
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