FEMALE FOETICIDE AND INFANTICIDE: A SOCIO-LEGAL PROBLEM

ABSTRACT

Female foeticide is the termination of a female foetus inside the womb of a woman through unfair means for some cultural myths or societal reasons. It has now become a social vulnerability of global significance in this era of ultrasound technology and capitalist modernity. Similarly, Female infanticide, another form of sex-selective murder, is the deliberate killing of newborn female children. Poverty, the dowry system, births to unmarried women, deformed infants, famine, lack of support services and maternal illnesses such as postpartum depression are among the causes that have been proposed to explain the phenomenon of female infanticide in India. These discriminatory malpractices can be removed by adopting a number of procedures like by defining a strong ethical code for the doctors, empowering women, adopting effective complaint registration system & developing awareness programmes. Awareness about the importance of girl child in the society is a major weapon to get relief from the female foeticide and infanticide. The present paper deals with the recent scenario of the feminine feticide and infanticide in the society. The sex selection techniques are providing sufficient prospects to the female foeticide. Also socio-economic problems are providing enough opportunities of female infanticide. Law is considered as a powerful instrument of social change however law alone cannot root out this social problem. The actual challenge before us and government authorities are to remove loopholes in the existing laws. The accountability lies of women’s group, NGO’s, the mass media educationist and medical professionals who have to play an active role in restricting socio-legal problem. It is important to note that until and unless this nuisance is prohibited, the country is directing towards a disastrous gender imbalance, which in turn would affect the economic progress of the nation.

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