Pakistan just celebrated its 69th independence day by remembering our ancestor’s sacrifices and hoping for better future and better society promising its citizens. Pakistani women has always been striving their best to play a role for betterment of the society but what is society doing for her.
Whereas women in this society are facing loads of various teething troubles, there are also seeds of gender inequality rooted in our society. Where we are fighting against honour killing and acid attacks, there is worst malady attacking our women. It is not only about giving the women respect or opportunity but snatching away its most basic right: right to live.
The rate of female infanticide in Pakistan is increasing but the public at large is either unaware of or is least concerned about the issue. Whenever there is some breaking news about the casualty of some girl, we feel wretched and fuming for some time but then the feeling dies out. Is it just because we do not know much about female infanticide? Is it just violence against women or something worse?
Female infanticide is the killing of baby girls before their birth through foetus termination or killing after birth. According to Infanticide Act of 1938 in the UK, the killing of girl under age 12 is considered as infanticide. Millions of baby girls are brutally murdered just because of their gender or some other personal or financial reasons.
This infanticide is as old as centuries in this world and still in practice in this so called the modern era. Many countries like India, China, Pakistan, France etc. have female infanticide occurrences as the evil is rooted deep in those societies. India can be said as ‘Father of Female Infanticide’ because of enormous records of such cases.
Officials estimate that approximately 6,000 female babies have been poisoned in Kallar villages alone in the past one decade. A study released by India’s Central Statistical Organization says that India lost 3 million girls due to female infanticide in last decade. What do make parents to indulge in this tear-jerking carnage? What do make parents kill their own innocent baby girls? The first reason that comes to mind is that obviously they want a son. Why they prefer a son over a daughter?
There can be list of reasons for not having a daughter like low image of women in society, financial problems, and reluctance to share inheritance with women, cultural preferences and unsafe future. In Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, dowry is the worst notorious reason which makes women burden. Though the governments of these countries have strict laws against dowry, still it is deeply rooted in their culture and traditions.
In China one child policy has elevated this selection and many European countries are also in this queue. Many governments have made strict laws against infanticide. In Pakistan, section 338 of the Pakistan Penal Code provides that: “Whoever causes a woman with child whose organs have not been formed, to miscarry, if such miscarriage is not caused in good faith for the purpose of saving the life of the woman or providing necessary treatment to her, is said to cause ‘Isqat-i-Haml’ is liable to a punishment of three years imprisonment if the abortion is performed by the woman’s consent otherwise a maximum of ten years.”
When we listen to such above stated news we get to know that we with our laws are failed to root out this mindset from our culture, society and of course people. There should be urgent steps and campaigns for awareness of this social issue and then we should all start take courage to accept the will of nature and to love our children, no matter girl or boy.
Because daughters are blessing of God Almighty and they become strength of family rather than burden. So let us make female infanticide an issue and then history. Leaving behind us should be: “Daughter, Not for slaughter!