Female infanticide.

ABSTRACT

Killing infant girls is something most of us cannot imagine. As shocking and disturbing as this behavior is, however, we must look at in within its cultural context. In some Indian communities there is a preference for male children. This attitude is rooted in a complex set of social, cultural and economic factors. Daughters will require a sizable financial dowry in order to marry. This dowry system, lack of economic independence, social customs and traditions has relegated the female to a secondary status. Because daughters leave their families of origin, they are often regarded as temporary members of their families and a drain on its wealth. There is an expression in India that ―bringing up a daughter is like watering a neighbor‘s plant‖. In most of such cases of female infanticide the perpetrator is the mother of the infant. Here we are highlighting a case where a new born female was suspected to have been brutally killed by her parent.