INTRODUCTION: The issue of a skewed sex ratio is one of the most serious risks to our modern civilization. The growing disparity between men and women is leading to a slew of crimes, including illicit female trafficking, sexual assaults, polygamy, and societal dehumanization. These activities have become more common, making the world a dangerous place for women. Female foeticide is one of the most heinous crimes on the planet; possibly even more heinous is that the perpetrators are members of the educated class. Our historical and biased views about male children, lack of education, ever-increasing population, and dowry have all contributed to this threat. Some measures, as well as their implementation, must take place right away.

Female foeticide is the act of removing a female fetus from the mother’s womb by abortion. It occurs prior to childbirth, following sex recognition tests such as an ultrasound scan. In India, any form of sex determination is forbidden or unlawful. It is a heinous practice that shames parents who abort their daughters. It threw a state’s or country’s gender ratio out of whack.

In today’s India, especially in rural regions, female foeticide is a burden. Female foeticide is becoming more common in India every day.

Why do people despise female children? The irony is that even old women despise female children. They are unaware that they, too, were born as a girl child and grew into ladies as they grew older. But they forget everything and immediately despise the girl child.

In India, female foeticide is both unethical and illegal. It is used by families that are desperate for a boy child. Other factors that contribute to female foeticide include social, religious, financial, and emotional factors. The regressive thinking of the folks that the son will earn while the girl will merely consume is one of the numerous causes for this.

India’s social, cultural, and religious factors are predominantly patriarchal, contributing significantly to women’s second-class status. The patrilineal social structure, which is based on the idea that a family runs via a man, treats men as a valuable commodity that must be maintained and accorded special treatment. Marriage is another fundamental pillar of the patriarchal paradigm, in which women are treated as second-class citizens with no say in how their lives are conducted or any control over their bodies or bodily integrity.

The mother/woman was held accountable for the child’s death because she was seen to be the one who brought the girl child into being. The reasons for female infanticide appear to be similar and distinct depending on the geographical place where it is performed. One of the main causes of female infanticide is an excessive dowry demand. Other reasons include the notion that only a son can administer the final rites, that lineage and inheritance go through the male line, that sons will look after their parents in their old age, and that men are the sole breadwinners. With the development of education, strong male preference and the resultant elimination of the female has increased rather than decreased.

CONSEQUENCES FOR FEMALE FOETICIDE:
1. Finding girls for marriage is challenging.
2. Girls from Assam and West Bengal are reportedly kidnapped and sold for marriage in Haryana, according to reports.
3. It devolves into a patriarchal culture dominated by men.
4. As a result of men believing themselves to be superior, women are exploited.
5. Unbalanced sex ratio.

LAWS IN INDIA FOR THE UNBORN: Sections 312-316 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) deal with miscarriage and the loss of an unborn child, with punishments ranging from seven years in jail and a fine to life imprisonment based on the severity and intent with which the offense is committed.

HOW TO STOP THIS EVIL PRACTICE: The Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act of 1994, adopted by the Indian government to combat female feticide, outlaws sex selection and controls prenatal diagnostic procedures to prevent their misuse.

The government, on its part, initiated a campaign called “Save the Girl Child.” I am not sure how many people are aware of this. If not, we should find out more about it and participate in the effort.

Several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are already leading the charge in this field. It should be stressed that the participation of community leaders and important individuals would go a long way toward ensuring the success of such efforts.

The government began the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign in January 2015 to encourage families to have girl children, prevent female foeticide, and educate the girl child. Balika Samriddhi Yojana and Dhanalakshmi Scheme are two of the conditional cash transfer initiatives it has established.

Law enforcement is ineffective, and ultrasonography is widely available. The government must keep a close eye on all sex determination centers and abortion clinics, ensuring that they are used for their intended purpose rather than being used for unlawful or unethical purposes.

CONCLUSION: In our country, a girl is revered as a Devi on the one hand, and her existence is denied on the other as if she has no right to exist. Perhaps the time has come to abandon masculine chauvinism and consider children as natural blessings, regardless of gender. We can not conceive a future civilization in which there are only males and no girls. There will be a lot of crime and evil in society. Only if the legislation already in place is insufficient. Women’s perceptions in the Orthodox world need to alter. The PNDT Act should severely penalize and punish those who violate it. Female foeticide and coerced abortions must be abolished before women become an endangered species.

ENDNOTES: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/rightpath/female-foeticide-2780/

Aishwarya Says:

I have always been against Glorifying Over Work and therefore, in the year 2021, I have decided to launch this campaign “Balancing Life”and talk about this wrong practice, that we have been following since last few years. I will be talking to and interviewing around 1 lakh people in the coming 2021 and publish their interview regarding their opinion on glamourising Over Work.

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