Jaisalmer: The desert districts of Rajasthan - Jaisalmer and Barmer - known for their colourful history of valour and honour, are now offering a sacrifice of a different kind. Newborn girls are being killed after birth.
Female infanticide died out with the coming of the ultrasound machine. Girls were killed off in the womb itself, but it is once again on the rise because families want to take advantage of government schemes which provide Rs 1,800 for having babies delivered in hospitals.
Women deliver daughters in hospitals, take their entitlements and go home. Within days the newborns disappear. Auxillary nurse midwives or ANMs, who supervise pregnancy and child birth in villages, say girls are being disposed off ruthlessly.
"Girls are definitely killed. I won't names castes, but female infanticide is prevalent in some castes, not all. In the last 5 years, there have been many such incidents," said Nakhat D Dheta, Social Worker, Seemant Kisan Sansthan.
Jaisalmer district has a sharply skewed sex ratio of 869 girls per 1000 boys, while Barmer has 919 girls per 1000 boys, way below the national average of 933.
"I've been working here for 8 years now, so I've seen cases of 10-12 girls being killed. Pressure is on the mothers, even husbands say that dowry is the main reason," said Mani Devi, Auxillary nurse midwife.
Villagers themselves remain silent about the practice but it is clear that the government's financial incentives to support girl children have had little impact. Instead, schemes like the Janani Suraksha Yojana, meant to ensure safe deliveries, are now being misused.
"Yes, the number of deliveries have increased. Nobody used to come here earlier. People belong to various castes. I went and explained that they should get their babies delivered here. Both mother and baby will be safe. Female infanticide is taking place in my own village," added Mani Devi.
Whether it's dowry, property or simply son preference, the reality is that daughters are still unwanted in these parts of Rajasthan.
Female infanticide died out with the coming of the ultrasound machine. Girls were killed off in the womb itself, but it is once again on the rise because families want to take advantage of government schemes which provide Rs 1,800 for having babies delivered in hospitals.
Women deliver daughters in hospitals, take their entitlements and go home. Within days the newborns disappear. Auxillary nurse midwives or ANMs, who supervise pregnancy and child birth in villages, say girls are being disposed off ruthlessly.
Jaisalmer district has a sharply skewed sex ratio of 869 girls per 1000 boys, while Barmer has 919 girls per 1000 boys, way below the national average of 933.
"I've been working here for 8 years now, so I've seen cases of 10-12 girls being killed. Pressure is on the mothers, even husbands say that dowry is the main reason," said Mani Devi, Auxillary nurse midwife.
Advertisement
"Yes, the number of deliveries have increased. Nobody used to come here earlier. People belong to various castes. I went and explained that they should get their babies delivered here. Both mother and baby will be safe. Female infanticide is taking place in my own village," added Mani Devi.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Man Pushes Girl To Death In Front Of Train For Rejecting Proposal, Arrested "Upset" Over Birth Of Girls, Man Kills Twins, Buries Them Near Delhi Home Delhi Man Takes Away Twin Daughters From Wife, Kills Them 2 Days After Birth Parents Gave Names Of Interns, Doctors To CBI In Kolkata Horror: Sources Who Is Jasveen Sangha, "Ketamine Queen" Charged With Matthew Perry's Death How Extreme Weather Is Leading To Rise In Child Marriages In Pakistan 'INDIA' Is with You Against "Injustice": Rahul Gandhi To Arvind Kejriwal "Strong Indications" Bangladesh Security Forces Used "Unnecessary" Force: UN Delhi Experienced 15 Consecutive Days Of Rainfall, Says Weather Department Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.