Female Foeticide
The new program which started today, 6th May 2012 on Star Plus, anchored by Aamir Khan has touched many a minds, as is clearly evident by the large following on the Facebook site. The topic of female foeticide is not new and we have been plagued with this for many many years now, but the program did force us to think again with some fresh data in mind. Here are some of my thoughts on it
It was an eye opener to note that roots of this evil actually somehow reside in government’s own policies. Who could even think of controlling the increasing population by having families opt in-out of child birth based on gender? I always thought that hum do humare do was what government used as a way to get the masses to understand population issues and look at controlling it. However there also, some families seem to have taken it too literally and while not having either time or energy to spend on kids, they do want to have two of them.
Anyway, the question at hand is female foeticide. The very basic question that I have always wanted to ask those who indulge in these and more specifically to the mother-in-laws (or should we call them monster-in-laws) is: if their parents had taken the same decision at the time of their birth, they would not have been around today to question the birth of a girl child and demand a boy child. If for nothing else, but for their own living self, don’t they hesitate for a moment before taking such steps?
As per the Census 2011 data the female sex ratio is 940 per 1000 males. Looking at the young India population of upwards of 300 million, this is a very large gap. A common sensical point that Aamir highlighted is with lesser girls around, there will be very many boys left without a life partner. I wonder what those families think about this. How on earth will the boy, they brought in this world, thinking will take forward their family’s name, can do it all by himself? Are we becoming asexual so that the boys can achieve this on their own?
The buying of girls as brides won’t be too different the buying and selling of slaves, another evil of our earlier societies that we managed to leave behind. But now it looks like we have found ways to get it back again. I guess it is time again for balika vadhu not for any other reason, but more for advance booking as a surety of ensuring bride for the growing boy in the family. Maybe we will once again see the hindi film era gone by with its dialogs like “aao, hum tum apni dosti rishtedari mein badal dein. Mein wachan deta hun ki mera beta bade hoke tumhari beti se hi shadi karega”
Another issue the episode highlighted was the fight of the two reporters who did the sting operation and for the past 7 years are still running around to different courts. If for a minute we assume that the Medical council, which has been avoiding taking any action so far, suddenly wakes up and cancels the license of these doctors, is that sufficient? Is that going to cause any trouble to the doctor? How many of us before consulting a doctor check that he has proper license or not? We assume he/she does. So even if the medical council cancels the license, what’s stopping the doctor to continue to practice, if not at his/her own clinic, but somewhere else? One solution that I can think of is that the doctor should also be sent behind bars for at least 6 months. His absence for 6 months will at least become the talk of the town/village/neighbourhood and after coming out the doctor will hopefully not be able to practice in the same area. He can of-course shift to another city and start work there, but that’s better than no action against him today
The battle isn’t against only the Rajasthan doctors, but is India wide. The only way to win against this is to change ourselves. Fortunately no doctor today is acting like Kans and killing any girl child (in this case) on his/her own accord. It is we the people who go to the doctors and they just oblige. We just need to stop asking for it and the problem is solved. Alongside we need to change some of our religious beliefs. People strongly believe that if a son gives agni to the parents on their death, they go to heaven. I have so many cases around me where the daughters are caring for the parents in their old age and sons are happily living somewhere else ignoring the very same parents who did all this to get them in this world. The path to heaven, if there is, in my view, is more governed by our deeds while we lived and not by who gives agni at the time of death.
It was an eye opener to note that roots of this evil actually somehow reside in government’s own policies. Who could even think of controlling the increasing population by having families opt in-out of child birth based on gender? I always thought that hum do humare do was what government used as a way to get the masses to understand population issues and look at controlling it. However there also, some families seem to have taken it too literally and while not having either time or energy to spend on kids, they do want to have two of them.
Anyway, the question at hand is female foeticide. The very basic question that I have always wanted to ask those who indulge in these and more specifically to the mother-in-laws (or should we call them monster-in-laws) is: if their parents had taken the same decision at the time of their birth, they would not have been around today to question the birth of a girl child and demand a boy child. If for nothing else, but for their own living self, don’t they hesitate for a moment before taking such steps?
As per the Census 2011 data the female sex ratio is 940 per 1000 males. Looking at the young India population of upwards of 300 million, this is a very large gap. A common sensical point that Aamir highlighted is with lesser girls around, there will be very many boys left without a life partner. I wonder what those families think about this. How on earth will the boy, they brought in this world, thinking will take forward their family’s name, can do it all by himself? Are we becoming asexual so that the boys can achieve this on their own?
The buying of girls as brides won’t be too different the buying and selling of slaves, another evil of our earlier societies that we managed to leave behind. But now it looks like we have found ways to get it back again. I guess it is time again for balika vadhu not for any other reason, but more for advance booking as a surety of ensuring bride for the growing boy in the family. Maybe we will once again see the hindi film era gone by with its dialogs like “aao, hum tum apni dosti rishtedari mein badal dein. Mein wachan deta hun ki mera beta bade hoke tumhari beti se hi shadi karega”
Another issue the episode highlighted was the fight of the two reporters who did the sting operation and for the past 7 years are still running around to different courts. If for a minute we assume that the Medical council, which has been avoiding taking any action so far, suddenly wakes up and cancels the license of these doctors, is that sufficient? Is that going to cause any trouble to the doctor? How many of us before consulting a doctor check that he has proper license or not? We assume he/she does. So even if the medical council cancels the license, what’s stopping the doctor to continue to practice, if not at his/her own clinic, but somewhere else? One solution that I can think of is that the doctor should also be sent behind bars for at least 6 months. His absence for 6 months will at least become the talk of the town/village/neighbourhood and after coming out the doctor will hopefully not be able to practice in the same area. He can of-course shift to another city and start work there, but that’s better than no action against him today
The battle isn’t against only the Rajasthan doctors, but is India wide. The only way to win against this is to change ourselves. Fortunately no doctor today is acting like Kans and killing any girl child (in this case) on his/her own accord. It is we the people who go to the doctors and they just oblige. We just need to stop asking for it and the problem is solved. Alongside we need to change some of our religious beliefs. People strongly believe that if a son gives agni to the parents on their death, they go to heaven. I have so many cases around me where the daughters are caring for the parents in their old age and sons are happily living somewhere else ignoring the very same parents who did all this to get them in this world. The path to heaven, if there is, in my view, is more governed by our deeds while we lived and not by who gives agni at the time of death.
I liked the Hindi film line - aao hum apni dosti ko rishtedaari mein badal dein. This is a very well written blog and the correlation established is amazing.
ReplyDeleteIts not just in our homes, even in offices where so-called brilliant minds make and break deals we have a certain regressive approach when it comes to family. They too want a male child only. Not that I am against wishing for a male child, I am against the whole process of sex determination and killing of fetus if it is a girl. Its a murder which I know my colleagues have performed, so much for the wish of a boy.
Thanks @bagofbrains for your comments. I am totally surprised that this isn't something that is done by illiterate people, but mostly by well educated people. I guess hence I am not too surprised to hear that your colleagues have done similar. Hope you tried to stop it as much as you could.
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