Killing daughters and letting sons live is a barbaric practice which primitives would do their own way, we do it our own. Our preference for boys and dislike for girls can lead us to a social disaster, writes Shaesta Quyoom

From times immemorial women had to face the curse of nature, wrath of evolution and indifference from gods. And if this was not enough, the modern gadgetry has become another enemy for the very existence of women. Now you must be thinking which is this gadget that selectively picks women and engulfs them. This instrument helps us detect problems associated with various body parts, yes I am talking about ultrasonography. 
Mentioning of ‘problem’ I believe carrying the burden of female child could probably be one of the biggest problems that so many mothers in this part of the world want to detect, and then get rid of ‘it’ as early as possible, because according to them girls perhaps are no less than some kind of useless growth that sooner you throw away the better it will be for your family health. The urgency to dispose off the girl child before she is born becomes more pronounced if a particular family has already one or more girls to take care of.  The idea of having another girl haunts them like a nightmare, and the only option left to them is to go for the killing of the female fetus i.e. female feticide. Girl child as an unwanted entity is so much integrated in our society that even doctors many times find female feticide acceptable, as it helps the ill-fated parents avoid the agony of parenting a daughter.

Talking of female feticide,  it is the unfortunate  outcome of  prejudice against the female gender. It has generated a phobia against females. Now this so called phobia has led to a perception that girls from very tender ages are made to believe that their problems  are due to their gender and when such girls becomes mothers they have such loathing for their own gender, that they do not want to have a girl child, and all they crave for is to have a son and become “GOBUR MOAJ”.

The bias is reflected through the figures. The literacy rate in J&K state has increased from 55.5 percent in 2001 to 68.74 percent in 2011, while on the other hand child sex ratio is markedly tilted in favor of boys.
In our society sons are the investments which give better returns, while as daughters are considered to be a loss. Sons they take as diamond, daughters as dust. The whole perception of girls in Asian subcontinent is very biased. From the time of their birth and may be till their death, the very being of a women is considered to be a huge liability. First to parents, if the parents are dead, then to their brothers or any other male relative, and after marriage to their husbands. That means girls basically do not have their free existence. A male in their lives is like a mini god, who like any typical Hindi film hero will come anywhere, anytime to help, shelter and save her in any type of problem. Because  according to the common faith at the end of a day a man is a man commonly called as “MARD-E-MOHNUV”, thus indirectly signifying the superiority of males over females, and that seems to be the reason that why sons are so much sought after. And believe me even in present times, people hesitate or rather avoid to give a wish like ‘may god bless you with a girl’ especially if the person has already one.  
We can't expect any emancipation on the social ground unless we remove this prejudice from our mind. Sons and daughters, let's consider both as gifts from God.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:00:00 IST