India 2007: Parents kill unborn Girl Children

--By Sagar Satapathy, Editor-in-Chief

Only a few months back, the 51st session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) expressed concern over the state of girl children in different parts of the world and vowed to end the violence and atrocities against them. Despite the talks about women empowerment and equal rights to girls in every field including education and employment, India in 2007 brings no joy to the poor girl children who are being killed even before birth.

Blame it on modern ultrasound technology or lack of awareness among people, the fact is that female foeticide is rampant in India that celebrates 60th year of its independence. It's true that not all people in India do that. However, there are a significant number of people who still believe that having a girl child is a sin or bad curse. It happens mostly in rural belt of India where people have been subjected to government apathy and corrupt practice by the medical practitioners and other authorities.

It seems girl children in India are still struggling for freedom, though Indian-born women like Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams, Sania Mirza and Aishwarya Rai have achieved more than what their male counterparts did. Still some parents are are not willing to accept a girl child and prefer boys over them.

In a gruesome incident, the police found more than 40 bags full of baby body parts outside an abortion facility in Nayagarh, Orissa, an eastern state of India. Local forensic experts suggest the remains are the product of illegal sex-selective abortions. The incident came to light first when a boy noticed seven infant bodies on the foot of a mountain on July 14 and reported it to the people. The owners of the abortion facility were arrested immediately and a crime branch inquiry has been ordered.

The incident create a shock wave across India. Surprisingly, more such bodies found in other states such as Maharashtra, Bihar and Rajasthan. Even such cases have been reported from other parts of Orissa. It clearly suggests that 'female foeticide' is rampant in India and parents kill their unborn foetus after the ultrasound analysis detects the gender of the babies.

The entire episode not only raised many questions before the public, but also it has put the government in a tight spot. India takes pride in electing its first Woman President only a week ago. However, killing of these infants and foetus clearly exposed the government and administration before the world. Is it the society we are looking for? The government and administration failed completely in preventing such heinous crime, which is a matter of concern for all.

There is no doubt that other parts of the world are also witnessing high abortion rates and atrocities against girl children. This is a global issue and must be addressed immediately. India is exposed before the world, as it has global presence and most countries still look to it for democratic reforms, electoral reforms and other health opinions. India is all set to become a superpower for its high growth rate, flexibility in business & investment and the global presence of the Indians. However, such heinous crimes may undermine its position. It's high time we take drastic steps to eradicate such evils from our society.