A Girl Is A Goddess

The 21st century has witnessed a great rise in development around the world. Communications and scientific research are developing at a rapid pace. The world is moving toward great change in culture and lifestyle. Gender equality is becoming common in many places, and girls are achieving heights once thought not possible.

However, even as the world is moving toward progress, the age-old social evil of female infanticide still shows its ugly face in developing countries such as India.

The prevalence of female infanticide in Chellampatty, Madurai, is heartbreaking. No efforts to curb this social evil have succeeded thus far.

However, our Child Survival Program (CSP) has become a powerful instrument of God to change, eradicate and reduce the prevalence of female infanticide and feoticide in this society through adequate postnatal care and effective child development. One particular Child Survival Program doing this is aptly named “Mercy.”

Female infanticide is the intentional killing of girl babies. Even in modern India, some parents long for a male child rather than a female. As a result, they adopt different methods to get rid of baby girls soon after they are born.

Parents normally do not kill the first or second girl child. But the third female child born in the family often is killed. Villagers use every available means to kill an unwanted girl child.

Some babies are given cactus milk that acts as a poison; hot chicken soup is poured into the baby’s mouth; babies are made to lie down on wet sack cloth, and unable to bear the wetness the babies die of fits; at the time of delivery, as the baby comes out from the mother’s womb, the nose and mouth of the baby is deliberately closed for some time until it dies of suffocation, and so on.

The motive behind such a practice is the dowry system, which requires that a bride’s family pay out a great deal of money or property when a female child is married. Thus, for poor families, the birth of a girl child is seen as the beginning of financial downfall and extreme poverty. Also, a family without a male child is considered to be a family without an inheritance.

No sooner than a girl child is born, the parents begin to save money exclusively for the girl to prepare for the large sum of money that has to be spent on her as she grows up.

During puberty, a great feast is traditionally held, inviting friends and relatives. The purpose is to declare that their girl child is fit for marriage. The parents spend a lot of money for this event.

When giving her in marriage, a large sum of money has to be spent again for a dowry. Most often the dowry demanded is much above what the family can afford. As a result, to get their daughter married, parents are forced to borrow the amount, and they have to spend the rest of their lives repaying the amount borrowed.

And the cost of a daughter isn’t over with marriage. The parents are expected to continue spending for their girl child. During the eighth month of their daughter’s pregnancy, they are to hold a grand event, and the first delivery expenses have to be taken care of by them.

The parents are to put ornaments of gold on their grandchild when he or she is born, and they have to bear the expenses of an ear-piercing ceremony, another grand event to which all friends and relatives are invited. Nearly $1,000 to $2,200 is spent on average.

Moreover, whenever there is a death in the family of the girl’s husband, the entire funeral expenses have to be borne by the girl’s parents.

Because of these many financial obligations invited by a birth of a girl child, very little attention is given to girls in the family. They are considered a burden.

Recognizing the need in this area, the staff at the Mercy Child Survival Program are working to save the lives of innocent girl babies.

Initially, they identify pregnant mothers and their families and begin counseling them. The women are encouraged to accept the birth of a girl child. Awareness classes are conducted on various issues, such as family planning, reproduction, child birth, abortion, types of delivery, immunization, communicable diseases and child marriage.

Well we can say that there are many NGO working for this problem so that awareness can be spread. But my question is... does that really giving results . Working on few cases spreading awareness just to add up few more experience in the profile of NGO. I would say now we the common people have to take steps for this. I mean I can directly say this we ourselves know in a conservative family these problems are very much common. I am not at all against the culture but I am with the goddess Girl Child. If you respect my words want a change please do share this and comment. Just want to change this that’s my aim is . 

 A girl child is a goddess, the creator of next generation,and so many definitions we can give for a girl child,then too why our society is still not accepting the fact that a healthy and happy girl gives birth to a happy and prosperous nation.As we all know still there are such people in our society who don't want a girl child in their family,some of them get them aborted while some cruel one of them kill the little princess born in their family .HOW CAN ANYONE DO THAT? FOR HOW LONG ? WHY CANT IT BE STOPPED?HOW CAN ANYONE KILL A DAUGHTER EITHER IN THE WOMB OR AFTER THE BIRTH?THERE ARE MANY SUCH UNANSWERED QUESTIONS .               

   -  Shivam Sharma ( Editor & Co-owner )  Canners International