"India's shame" The is how Priminister Manmohan Singh, described the epidemic of gendercide on the Indian subcontinent.
Families concerned by the prospect of pay a traditional dowry prefer to abortion or infanticide.
The problem has been recognized and gender test has been illegal for some time. however to the law is routinely ignored.
In recent years dowry too has been illegal for years, but the law is ignored and dowry values have increased and families can be subject to many years of debt bondage. If the families do not keep up with payments the married daughters may be beaten or burned to death.
The problem is not limited to the poor or ill-educated, with high income and wealthy families, easy access to ultrasound gender selection the problem is more prevalent among wealthy families. Census figures show the problem is so bad that in some areas there are 30 girls to 100 boys.
Dr.Mitu Khurana's experience was that her in-laws and husband pressured to have ultrasound, she refused, and they later gave her a cake containing egg to which they knew she was allergic, in the hope of a miscarriage. While she was hospitalised they arranged for ultrasound. After the twins were born, her mother-in-law pushed one the little girls down stairs. Dr Khurana is fighting a legal battle to prosecute her in-laws, it is an up hill battle there is little will in the justice to support her fight as many in the justice system themselves prac tice grendercide. Dr Khurana describes herself as being treated "like a criminal".
Gendercide, sadly, is not unique to India, it also happens in China, Sudan, and some cases may have occurred in America.
Here is a link to an online petition to help Dr Khurana.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/a-mothers-fight-to-save-her-daughters/
Source ABC part 1, part 2
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