TEMPO.CO, India - Female babies' abortion is the main social problem in India. Female children are seen less worthy compared to male children in the country. The abortion practices are mostly found in Gujarat and northern India. The Patriarchy culture triggers Indian society to abandon female children.
"Last year, the medical journal Lancet reported that 500,000 female children in India died because of selective abortion each year," quoted Daily Mail. Consistent with Lancet, a UNICEF report in 2006 revealed that 10 million female children had been killed by the parents since 1986, both before or right after they were born.
The female babies' killing happened due to the old culture throughout India that follows a patriarchy paradigm. The boys are preferred because they are believed to bring wealth and prosperity for the family. Meanwhile, girls are often considered as a burden.
The dowry is another factor of the killing. Indian culture requires brides to give a big amount of cash or valuables for a wedding gift to the grooms and his family. Even though the system had already forbidden, the fact is the culture is still rooted in Indian culture. If there are many girls on the family, there will also more gifts to be prepared.
Female fetus abortion had started in early 1990s as the result of USG technique availability in India. Automatically, Indians are able to see the gender of their babies. Consequently, 80 percent of Indian districts reported to have been having more male citizens than women since 1991.
This practice is believed to cause the increase of human trafficking. Women are traded as a bride in the regions with more men.
DAILY MAIL | ANINGTIAS JATMIKA
