Where have South Asian Girls Gone?
Arati Singh
July 22, 2007
Some four months back, my analysis on abortion as a religious issue or women rights, had invited heaps of comments and suggestions to my reporter's desk in one of the news portals where I write. I had opined that abortion should be a very private decision of a woman as it can save women from unwanted motherhood and the related consequences. Now, I read the news and report that intensely state how in Asia abortion plays a major part in determining the fate of female fetus. Sex-selective abortion, as United Nations Development Fund for Women puts it, is at very high alarming rate in Asia, particularly in South Asia.
Sex-selective abortion is a prenatal discrimination against the fetus of an undesired sex by the practice of various methods of abortions. Such practices are especially more common in some places where cultural norms value male children over female children.
The practice of sex-selective abortion first started from the mainland China, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore some 20-30 years back. Cultural preference for a son soon fueled this practice as a common custom to eliminate the female fetus by abortion. The consequence now is that all of these nations have imbalances sex ratio. There are 113 males per 100 females in South Korea and it is estimated that by 2020 there could be more than 35 million young "surplus males" in China.
United Nations International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo, Egypt in 1994 recognizes sex-selective abortion and infanticide, along with discrimination against female children as a social crime. However, thirteen years on, the situation looks worse than before.
In South Asia abortion is legalized under different circumstances. Broadly these circumstances can be classified as, mother's mental or physical incapability, rape, deformed child and socio-economic conditions. Sex selective abortion has not been recognized as a reason for abortion so far. However it is the one and most important reason for which abortion is carried out in most of the cases in South Asia. "The reasons for abortion may be given different by the families but the hidden and the true reason is to eliminate the undesired sex," says an officer working in Regional Office for South Asia-UNICEF in an interview with BBC.
Among the South Asian countries, sex selective abortion is most rampant and consequential in India. According to the 2001 census, the sex ratio in India is 107.8 males per 100 females, up from 105.8 males per 100 females in 1991. Indira Patel, an Indian Sociologist, claims that 96 percent of aborted fetuses in India are female and over the last 10 years 20 million female fetuses have been aborted so far. And in next thirteen years there would be 25 million more young males than females.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have significant number of sex selective abortions but the situation is not as acute as in India. In both the countries the sex ratio among less than 16 years is 1.8 male to one female, which means male population is growing slowly but quite steadily. In these countries abortion is legally permitted only if the health of women is not suitable for giving a birth. “But most of the time abortion takes place for the desire to have son” says an anonymous doctor with BBC. She furthers adds interestingly enough that, sex selective abortion is more common among middle class and wealthy Pakistani and Afgani families than among the poor and the uneducated. This may be true due to associated fear and inaccessibility to the abortion among the poor people. However the discrimination that the girl children face though being lucky to be born in these countries is an altogether different issue to discuss upon.
In Nepal, as abortion under any circumstances is legalized and permitted, the sex selective abortion might be quite firm there too. Nepal is the country that celebrates the birth of baby boy, as in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh therefore elimination of undesired fetus from the mother's womb must be quite common and regular though it is very difficult to get reports on this particular issue from Nepal.
The vital discussion here is if the criminalization of abortion under any circumstances is the solution of this devastating practice of selective infanticide. This is where I want to disagree with many experts and religious personas who see the criminalization of abortion as an answer.
Sex-selective abortion doesn’t have its roots in legalization of abortion, though indeed it might have been enhanced by this provision. The root cause of this infanticide goes to predominant Hindu and Muslim religions in South Asia that glorify the manhood. In both the religions, woman are demeaned and belittled so much that giving a birth to a female signifies incapability and inferiority. Being a mother of a son, on other hand brings social prestige and recognition in the family and the social circle. Similarly, father also has to experience some structured social discriminations if his child is a daughter.
The root cause also goes to South Asian culture of dowry system and joint family. At the time of marriage, the girl's family has to pay a heavy “groom price” in form of cash, jewels and gifts to the boy's family. The best way to escape from this social compulsion is by not giving birth to the daughter. Most of the South Asian middle class families prefer to pay 50 US$ in abortion than to spend more than 10,000 US$ in the daughter’s marriage.
South Asian family culture requires son to stay with his parents after the marriage. The son and daughter-in-law are expected to look after the parents through their old age therefore families prefer sons who are like "insurance" for the old age. Daughters on the other hand are “non-profitable investment” who after the marriage are socially not obliged to take care of her parents.
People must be facilitated to be critical of discriminating religious values and dogmas, though the task involves high risk and social sentiments. Massive awareness on gender can be initiated not only at grass root level (as has been in India, Nepal and Bangladesh) but throughout the nations among every class of people.
System of dowry can be strictly criminalized. It is surprising that despite being recognized as a social evil, no South Asian country has succeeded to put an effective control on the dowry system. Restricting abortion can ensure the birth of girl child but it would not stop the growing death rates, harassment by in-laws, suicides and divorces related to dowry. Neither will it ensure the girl’s opportunities to have better education, food and employment. Sex selective abortion is a social issue not a legal one.
These days a state run television in India airs a message with a tag “celebrate on the birth of a daughter”. Definitely, girls must be welcomed as their growing absence can make South Asia face worse forms of inevitable crimes like trafficking, kidnapping, prostitution and rape. The development workers and governments in South Asia now cannot afford to loose time to make an environment where a birth of baby is celebrated…..not the sex of a baby.
Sex-selective abortion is a prenatal discrimination against the fetus of an undesired sex by the practice of various methods of abortions. Such practices are especially more common in some places where cultural norms value male children over female children.
The practice of sex-selective abortion first started from the mainland China, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore some 20-30 years back. Cultural preference for a son soon fueled this practice as a common custom to eliminate the female fetus by abortion. The consequence now is that all of these nations have imbalances sex ratio. There are 113 males per 100 females in South Korea and it is estimated that by 2020 there could be more than 35 million young "surplus males" in China.
United Nations International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo, Egypt in 1994 recognizes sex-selective abortion and infanticide, along with discrimination against female children as a social crime. However, thirteen years on, the situation looks worse than before.
In South Asia abortion is legalized under different circumstances. Broadly these circumstances can be classified as, mother's mental or physical incapability, rape, deformed child and socio-economic conditions. Sex selective abortion has not been recognized as a reason for abortion so far. However it is the one and most important reason for which abortion is carried out in most of the cases in South Asia. "The reasons for abortion may be given different by the families but the hidden and the true reason is to eliminate the undesired sex," says an officer working in Regional Office for South Asia-UNICEF in an interview with BBC.
Among the South Asian countries, sex selective abortion is most rampant and consequential in India. According to the 2001 census, the sex ratio in India is 107.8 males per 100 females, up from 105.8 males per 100 females in 1991. Indira Patel, an Indian Sociologist, claims that 96 percent of aborted fetuses in India are female and over the last 10 years 20 million female fetuses have been aborted so far. And in next thirteen years there would be 25 million more young males than females.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have significant number of sex selective abortions but the situation is not as acute as in India. In both the countries the sex ratio among less than 16 years is 1.8 male to one female, which means male population is growing slowly but quite steadily. In these countries abortion is legally permitted only if the health of women is not suitable for giving a birth. “But most of the time abortion takes place for the desire to have son” says an anonymous doctor with BBC. She furthers adds interestingly enough that, sex selective abortion is more common among middle class and wealthy Pakistani and Afgani families than among the poor and the uneducated. This may be true due to associated fear and inaccessibility to the abortion among the poor people. However the discrimination that the girl children face though being lucky to be born in these countries is an altogether different issue to discuss upon.
In Nepal, as abortion under any circumstances is legalized and permitted, the sex selective abortion might be quite firm there too. Nepal is the country that celebrates the birth of baby boy, as in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh therefore elimination of undesired fetus from the mother's womb must be quite common and regular though it is very difficult to get reports on this particular issue from Nepal.
The vital discussion here is if the criminalization of abortion under any circumstances is the solution of this devastating practice of selective infanticide. This is where I want to disagree with many experts and religious personas who see the criminalization of abortion as an answer.
Sex-selective abortion doesn’t have its roots in legalization of abortion, though indeed it might have been enhanced by this provision. The root cause of this infanticide goes to predominant Hindu and Muslim religions in South Asia that glorify the manhood. In both the religions, woman are demeaned and belittled so much that giving a birth to a female signifies incapability and inferiority. Being a mother of a son, on other hand brings social prestige and recognition in the family and the social circle. Similarly, father also has to experience some structured social discriminations if his child is a daughter.
The root cause also goes to South Asian culture of dowry system and joint family. At the time of marriage, the girl's family has to pay a heavy “groom price” in form of cash, jewels and gifts to the boy's family. The best way to escape from this social compulsion is by not giving birth to the daughter. Most of the South Asian middle class families prefer to pay 50 US$ in abortion than to spend more than 10,000 US$ in the daughter’s marriage.
South Asian family culture requires son to stay with his parents after the marriage. The son and daughter-in-law are expected to look after the parents through their old age therefore families prefer sons who are like "insurance" for the old age. Daughters on the other hand are “non-profitable investment” who after the marriage are socially not obliged to take care of her parents.
People must be facilitated to be critical of discriminating religious values and dogmas, though the task involves high risk and social sentiments. Massive awareness on gender can be initiated not only at grass root level (as has been in India, Nepal and Bangladesh) but throughout the nations among every class of people.
System of dowry can be strictly criminalized. It is surprising that despite being recognized as a social evil, no South Asian country has succeeded to put an effective control on the dowry system. Restricting abortion can ensure the birth of girl child but it would not stop the growing death rates, harassment by in-laws, suicides and divorces related to dowry. Neither will it ensure the girl’s opportunities to have better education, food and employment. Sex selective abortion is a social issue not a legal one.
These days a state run television in India airs a message with a tag “celebrate on the birth of a daughter”. Definitely, girls must be welcomed as their growing absence can make South Asia face worse forms of inevitable crimes like trafficking, kidnapping, prostitution and rape. The development workers and governments in South Asia now cannot afford to loose time to make an environment where a birth of baby is celebrated…..not the sex of a baby.