Female Infanticide - Reshma Majithia

Female infanticide is a heinous crime and a bane of society. It is increasing at a disquieting rate in India. In countries like China and India where patriarchal societies are still the order of the day, the status of women is considered inferior to that of men. Female children are often unwanted and clobbered. The stigma has continued to burgeon by the day. Organized efforts to tackle the social ill have remained mostly hypothetical and hence, practically feckless.

What is appalling is the number of our erudite population who continue to engage in this, overtly or covertly; shockingly, mothers are the ones who often perpetrate the crime with the support of other women in their network. If spared, the predicament faced by the girl child is even more perilous, as she is often subjugated and subjected to recurrent physical abuse. Female infanticide and abuse are barbaric and cruel and should be controlled without further ado. I believe it is up to each one of us to take stock of the situation and work towards eradicating this menace irreversibly.

The meaning of words marked in bold