Gender Preference in India: An Implicit Custom

           Though no longer endorsed by the government, gender preference (and subsequently female infanticide) has its roots deep within the foundation of India's culture. A small and fairly new non-profit, The Shanti Project is composed of a nickel's worth of activists doing a world's worth of good, fostering the empowerment of marginalized Indian women and children through community meetings and discussions. Get a taste of their work through this excerpt from their website, and visit them at theshantiproject.org.

Female Infanticide in Jaisalmer

   Pinkie, a month old, lies out in her crib in the sun for eight or so hours a day. She has scabs on her head and a rash on her entire body. Upon offering to help take her to the hospital, we were informed that the government hospital has horrible conditions. Bimla (Pinkies mom), said she wouldn’t take her there. So we went to investigate the hospital conditions.Once there we saw Bimla’s reasons for not wanting to visit. The hospital was overcrowded and understaffed. To get medical attention most have to wait hours or even days.We were told that another baby is another mouth to feed and Bimla said when we were holding her daughters: “You take home with you, I already have two girls.”

          We gathered this is the general attitude many young moms have towards giving birth to girls. With this, female infanticide in Jaisalmer is on the rise. In a July report, The New Delhi Times cites there have been 38 female infanticides in Jaisalmer in the last 3 months; and this is only the reported deaths. There are numerous others that may be unreported. The 2012 international male to female ratio at birth is 1.07 males per female. The rate in India, according to a 2009 report is 1.12 male(s)/female.
           In the villages surrounding Jaisalmer the situation is worse because of lack of governance. A week ago the leg of a newborn was found after being picked by a dog. The body was found near the village being eaten by dogs. Then another July incident found the body of a newborn girl thrown in the open. Both of these cases were unreported “According to unofficial estimates, nearly 2,500 cases of female foeticide or female infanticide take place in the state of Rajasthan everyday and it does seem that an apathetic government is standing by and watching the story of this silent genocide. According to the central scheme, the Janani Suraksha Yojana, a sum of Rs.1400 is given for every baby delivered in a government hospital. Introduced four years ago, this scheme has gone horribly wrong in this district, where women deliver daughters in hospitals, take their entitlements and go home. Within days the newborns disappear.” (Preeti Choudhry for India Times) In villages where there is the most infanticide the youth are told: “The water from our wells only produces boys.”
           Fortunately, there is a government sponsored program called “Save the Girl Child” that is taking preventative measures. The Shanti Project is working towards providing resources and access to education and tools that will lessen the infanticide in the community.