India's Unwanted Girls

[ishvar2]

India's 2011 census shows a serious decline in the number of girls under the age of seven - activists fear eight million female foetuses may have been aborted in the past decade. The BBC's Geeta Pandey in Delhi explores what has led to this crisis.

Kulwant has three daughters aged 24, 23 and 20 and a son who is 16.

In the years between the birth of her third daughter and her son, Kulwant became pregnant three times.

Each time, she says, she was forced to abort the foetus by her family after ultrasound tests confirmed that they were girls.

"My mother-in-law taunted me for giving birth to girls. She said her son would divorce me if I didn't bear a son."

Kulwant still has vivid memories of the first abortion. "The baby was nearly five months old. She was beautiful. I miss her, and the others we killed," she says, breaking down, wiping away her tears.

Until her son was born, Kulwant's daily life consisted of beatings and abuse from her husband, mother-in-law and brother-in-law. Once, she says, they even attempted to set her on fire.

"They were angry. They didn't want girls in the family. They wanted boys so they could get fat dowries," she says.

India outlawed dowries in 1961, but the practice remains rampant and the value of dowries is constantly growing, affecting rich and poor alike.

Kulwant's husband died three years after the birth of their son. "It was the curse of the daughters we killed. That's why he died so young," she says.

More here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13264301

[ishvar2]

"Clinics from Punjab were boasting that they had 10 years' experience in eliminating girl children and inviting parents to come to them."

Shocking, sickening, what can you say.

[kdsingh80]

Aborting girls on rise among educated and rich

Rich and educated Indian parents are increasingly aborting a second girl child and instead waiting for a boy, driving 90% of the country’s citizens into zones with sex ratios that are unnaturally and often

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Woman thrown out for giving birth to girls

dangerously low. The sex ratio for second-born children in families where the first-born is a

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Woman thrown out for giving birth to girlsgirl has

dropped overall from 906 girls per 1000 boys in 1990 to 836 in 2005, new research published in the journal Lancet today shows.

But this low ratio has fallen even lower to just over 750 girls for 1000 boys among the richest 20 % families, and to barely above 700 for families where the mother has over 10 years of education.

The scientists warned that the findings did not mean a higher preference for boys among the richest and educated sections of India – but instead hinted at their greater access to sex selection and abortion, and ability to evade the law.

“Since the proportion of the rich and educated is likely to rise in India, we are worried about the implications of this trend,” lead researcher Prabhat Jha, from the University of Toronto and the Centre for Global Health Research said.

This conditional sex ratio – for second-born children where the first-born is a girl -- was comparatively higher at about 850 for the richest 20 % families, and at 880 for families with educated mothers in 1991.

The researchers found that the poorest 20 % families and families where the mother had no education on an average showed either no change or even improvement in this conditional sex ratio since 1991. The scientists used data from successive census reports and National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) for their analysis.

There was no similar change in sex ratio over the past two decades for the second-born child if the first-born was a boy – suggesting that families are comfortable with girls if they already have a boy.

“The demand for sons among wealthy parents is being satisfied by the medical community through the provision of illegal services of fetal sex-determination and sex-selective abortion,” SV Subramanian, professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, and Daniel Corsi at the McMaster University in Hamilton Canada said, in independent reactions to the research.

“The financial incentive for physicians to undertake this illegal activity seems to be far greater than the penalties associated with breaking the law,” they added.

But India as a whole may have to face consequences of the dramatic decline in overall sex-ratio observed by the 2011 census and analysed in greater detail by the researchers.

Only 50 % of Indians lived in districts with sex ratios less than 950 in 1991. A sex ratio between 950 and 975 is the globally accepted natural sex ratio. But the fraction of the population living in districts with a sex ratio below 950 increased to 70 % in 2001 and is now an alarming 90 %.

Only 10 % of the population lived in districts with a sex ratio below 915 – broadly considered dangerously low – in 1991. But this fraction increased to 27 % in 2001 and has now increased sharply to 56 %.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Aborting-girls-on-rise-among-educated-rich/Article1-701651.aspx

[unbreakable]

and this happens in our GREAT pUnjab

Shame on us

[dalsingh101]

It's hit the national news. My flatmate mentioned it.

I didn't exactly know how to respond to:

"Is that how your people are going on!!!"

Apparently the article she read singled out Panjab as one of the worst culprits.

[kdsingh80]

It's hit the national news. My flatmate mentioned it.

I didn't exactly know how to respond to:

"Is that how your people are going on!!!"

Apparently the article she read singled out Panjab as one of the worst culprits.

In UK and west they abort millions of babies and call it choice ,so how could they blame Indians? You kill someone knowing his/her gender or you kill knowing without the knowing gender the fact is it remains the murder

[dalsingh101]

In UK and west they abort millions of babies and call it choice ,so how could they blame Indians? You kill someone knowing his/her gender or you kill knowing without the knowing gender the fact is it remains the murder

That's a point often lost on whitey. Killing unborn babies (regardless of sex) is considered okay here, but India gets hammered for doing this to females only.

Thing people must realise is that whitey has a 'saviour' complex when it comes to 'exotic' females. This is probably feeding into that somehow?

That being said, for Sikhs specifically, especially given the seriousness with which our ancestors viewed 'kurimaaring' - this is a disgrace.

[kdsingh80]

That's a point often lost on whitey. Killing unborn babies (regardless of sex) is considered okay here, but India gets hammered for doing this to females only.

Thing people must realise is that whitey has a 'saviour' complex when it comes to 'exotic' females. This is probably feeding into that somehow?

That being said, for Sikhs specifically, especially given the seriousness with which our ancestors viewed 'kurimaaring' - this is a disgrace.

I am not saying it is not disgrace but the fact is Punjab has improved a lot in this regard.Sex ratio improved from 798 to 846.Any social problem that erupts in society takes it time to eliminate.Now with this rate in 3 decade sex ratio could become normal.

You have to understand India was a society where 4-5 kids used to get born ,in 70 s population control was imposed and with that the evil of female foeticide started .In first 10-15 years Govt hardly did anything ,serious measures started to control this problem in 2000s

Also social evils are always part of all societies in some form

[dalsingh101]

in 70 s population control was imposed and with that the evil of female foeticide started

It's not as simple as that. Foeticide has just replaced the much older practice of killing girls after they were born.

We seem to come across this problem amongst apnay quite frequently in our history.

[Mithar]

It's not as simple as that. Foeticide has just replaced the much older practice of killing girls after they were born.

We seem to come across this problem amongst apnay quite frequently in our history.

True, from what I have heard from my grand mother, back in the olden days, girl babies were buried alive after being born. Another way of killing baby girls and make it look "natural" was that if the girl was born in the winter, she was just left outside at night in the cold without warm clothing to protect from the winter cold, by sunrise the baby girl was usually dead.

North Indian people(which includes our people) are really sick people. No wonder God had punished us with so many invasions from the north west, partition in 47, 84 holocaust, drug problems and so on.

Edited May 28, 2011 by Mithar

[kdsingh80]

It's not as simple as that. Foeticide has just replaced the much older practice of killing girls after they were born.

We seem to come across this problem amongst apnay quite frequently in our history.

Killing of newborn girls happened in few homes.Had it been a mass practice then Growth of Punjabi's would had been stagnated because there had been few brides left to marry.Also there should have been no practice of dowry because every girl had many rishta's for her

[dalsingh101]

Killing of newborn girls happened in few homes.Had it been a mass practice then Growth of Punjabi's would had been stagnated because there had been few brides left to marry.Also there should have been no practice of dowry because every girl had many rishta's for her

Well it was considered serious enough to be made a major kureit in most rehats a few centuries ago. Buying girls (which can be seen as a consequence of the low availability of females), was specifically mentioned as a problem in Prem Sumarag. We have the tales of Jassa Singh Ramgarhia and Sukha Singh being accused of the crime in 1700s. Plus we have accounts of the Brits who encountered it post annexation.

What hope is there when educated people amongst us play it down or rationalise it away KDS?

This paper covers some aspects of this.

infanticide.pdf

[G.Kaur]

I got this on e-mail a few years ago

http://www.4shared.com/folder/OUc5ee7_/Stop_killing_the_Future_of_Kau.html

Edited May 28, 2011 by G.Kaur

[amardeep]

There was an advertis in Lucknow outside an abortion clinic that said "Pay 500 rupees now, save 500.000 later"

[Mithar]

Killing of newborn girls happened in few homes.Had it been a mass practice then Growth of Punjabi's would had been stagnated because there had been few brides left to marry.Also there should have been no practice of dowry because every girl had many rishta's for her

KDS, the problem with killing of baby girls is nothing new in Punjab. It is an ancient problem. If you look at census figures from the British era, Punjab was always disgraceful when it came to girls to boys ratio. Now North Indians have just gotten more high tech in how to deal with this. Instead of killing the baby girl after she is born, she is killed while still in the pregnant mother.

Our Gurus tried to put a stop to this. Which is why one of the people that Sikhs were not to associate with were Kurimars(daughter killers). If we consider ourselves Hukmi Sikhs, then we cannot talk, associate with a person or family that has killed their baby/unborn daughter.

[SURYADEV]

Our Gurus tried to put a stop to this. Which is why one of the people that Sikhs were not to associate with were Kurimars(daughter killers). If we consider ourselves Hukmi Sikhs, then we cannot talk, associate with a person or family that has killed their baby/unborn daughter.

I'd say thats most of the Sikh and Panjabi populous then.

Anyway, with this being a secret thing that goes on how do we recognise the families who commit these 'crimes'?

[kdsingh80]

Well it was considered serious enough to be made a major kureit in most rehats a few centuries ago. Buying girls (which can be seen as a consequence of the low availability of females), was specifically mentioned as a problem in Prem Sumarag.

What I read about that is that one of the major reason was muslim invaders.Obviously a Singh Living in jungles with attacking others with applying Guerrilla warfare techniques would never want a daughter to born to him as he may be aware that if she captured what hell could happen to her.Punjab was under invaders for 700 years ,what these invasions have affected mentality of people we cannot understand.

We have the tales of Jassa Singh Ramgarhia and Sukha Singh being accused of the crime in 1700s. Plus we have accounts of the Brits who encountered it post annexation.

I partially read this document, but what I want to know is you posted sometimes about advanced education system of Maharaja ranjit Singh ,I want to know what Maharaja did to tackle this problem or he just turned blind eye towards this problem and ultimately we were saved by Great Brits by this evil practice.

What hope is there when educated people amongst us play it down or rationalise it away KDS?

Its not about justifying or rationalising .Deep down everybody knows how much a boys family gain and how much Girl's family loses in Punjabi culture.Even the most forward thinking people refuse to take daughters money .Humans are quite selfish people that's why they are concerned about future.In country like India what old age security do you have?Taking care of parents in India is still considered as sons duty.Many men do it willingly other just do it because there old parents keep property in their names until last breath

Tell me dalsingh a farmer has two daughters and he educate and marry them and in his 50s he loses his health then what he and his wife will do? and the worst is that if he is in some land dispute then his enemies will consider him a walkover.

The problem is most of the people look this problem from western angle rather than Indian one.The best solution I think is good old age pension for people who don't have sons O/W this evil will remain in society

[kdsingh80]

KDS, the problem with killing of baby girls is nothing new in Punjab. It is an ancient problem. If you look at census figures from the British era, Punjab was always disgraceful when it came to girls to boys ratio. Now North Indians have just gotten more high tech in how to deal with this. Instead of killing the baby girl after she is born, she is killed while still in the pregnant mother.

Yes I have seen that census but they only mentioned Male female ratio rather than CSR which really indicate sex ratio.Punjab always being a fertile region attracted lots of male migrants so adult man woman ratio is not good indicator.

Anyway My question is still not answered if sex ratio was so low in Punjab then how so many men get married? People say about buying women but from where.Was their any kind of woman trade just like slave trade from neighbouring states.Obviously I never heard about it

Our Gurus tried to put a stop to this. Which is why one of the people that Sikhs were not to associate with were Kurimars(daughter killers). If we consider ourselves Hukmi Sikhs, then we cannot talk, associate with a person or family that has killed their baby/unborn daughter.

Suryadev has already asked a good question how could we know that someone is kurimaar? Obviously people don't tell about this as these are dirty family secrets