We have to see child murder than more than one crime. It indicates that society has failed on a fundamental level. It shows that there is bias against women and even warns us that discrimination against gender in our lives is still in our lives, even in a greater way and female childhood, especially in remote places. Imagine you live in 2025, at a time when we women celebrate as a scientist, scientist and successful business people, but such progress still coexistes with hard realities. In many girls, fundamental rights are still being refused to be born with the right to be born. The child murder still makes headlines in the news, although there are ongoing efforts to exterminate such harmful practices. It is still a disturbing reality of our society.
Shocking and painful news from the district of Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh has recently come to light, where a 15-day age little girl Was buried alive and later saved by the local police. The incident is devastating, but not new; Some stories become aware of the public while others remain hidden. The funeral of girls under the ground is not just a cruel practice. It also symbolizes the burdens of the patriarchy, poverty and the deeply rooted injustice that continue to submit to generations. As a country and community, we have to think about this problem. How can we really say that society really has female progress against these deeply rooted crimes against a female child?
This special case not only presents a girl’s job. Nevertheless, it reminds us of the hidden and persistent violence against women in India, which begins before your birth and remains in every step of your life. This crime is often justified by presenting women as a burden or financial difficulties. We have to recognize the child murder, not just as an individual crime, but as a reflection of a greater social failure; It is a sign of gender distortion and even warning that there is still gender -specific discrimination in larger forms such as female child murder, especially in remote areas.
Preference for a male child
It is shocking to admit, but daughters are still regarded as a burden. In the 21st century, too, many parts of India regard the birth of a girl as an unfortunate or stressful event. One of the various causes behind this way of thinking is the requirement of the dowry during marriage, which leads to women making their families an economic liability for their families. Despite different legal protection, such as the Mitgift Prohibition Act of 1961 and campaigns such as Beti Bachao and Beti Padhao continue to dominate the preference for a male child family planning decisions and cultural practices.
It is shocking to admit, but daughters are still regarded as a burden. In the 21st century, too, many parts of India regard the birth of a girl as an unfortunate or stressful event. One of the various causes behind this way of thinking is the requirement of the dowry during marriage, which leads to women making their families an economic liability for their families.
On the other hand, people still see a male child as capital because a son can carry the family names forward after them and will be the bearer of the family heritage. It is believed that a son is a future breadwinner and a significant social investment for the family. The survey of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) from 2019 to 2021 shows that almost 80% of households want at least A son in the family.
This incorrect way of thinking still shapes decisions in countless households, especially if education is limited and financial struggles are a daily reality. As a result, girls are refused their right to birth, and those who survive are later left by their families. According to the latest prospects of the world population, there are 106 men per 100 Women in IndiaAnd the country lies in the sex relationship between women to male from 236 countries of 236 countries.
Rural poverty and patriarchal pressure
Another cause of such female And child murder is poverty. In many villages in Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country, survival is a daily struggle. Under these hard conditions, despair often makes even stronger. If parents have to decide who they have to feed, educate or maintain. A current Opinion poll According to the National Statistics Office (NSO), rural families in India spend more money on the training of a boy than for the training of a girl. The International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) of the United Nations also reveals that children in the poorest families If you suffer the worst food poverty, especially the girls who are more malnourished due to a gender -specific discrimination.
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However, poverty alone does not lead to child murder; Rather, it is deeply linked to the patriarchy. If financial difficulties lead to a decision is made, it seems to be a need to leave a girl, even though it is sometimes heartbreaking. We should not see this as an excuse, but as part of a bigger problem: a society that punishes the poor as they stick to strict gender roles and prejudices.
Gender -specific bias in everyday life
The female child murder, one of the most brutal form of sex -specific violence, is not suddenly, but something that is integrated into everyday life. It begins with words and actions that are often considered harmless, for example a film line, the aggressive male behavior or blessing of a grandmother for “a healthy son”. Even daily religious rituals appreciate boys about girls. The idea that sons are essential and needed in every family is anchored in cultural, social and even religious practices, which the girl often use as secondary. Over time, this message becomes part of everyday life.
It is urgently needed to protect the girl beyond the surface level. This can only be done with the active participation of the government and civil society. There is a need to work in the soil, where the focus should be on village devices, local health centers and schools. Only a few slogans cannot change the fate of a girl in this country.
This social conditioning later creates a world for girls full of discrimination, abortion or even terrible situations such as alive. In a study by the Lancet in 2022 it was announced that around 2,39,000 girls under the age of five die annually due to gender discrimination and inadequate health care.
This number underlines the urgent need to remedy the gender -specific prejudices embedded in our society and to affect millions of girls negatively.
Gender: Need for a collective responsibility
In India we have various laws and programs to exterminate fetizid and child murder. Why are such crimes still widespread despite legal provisions? Isn’t it the failure of public guidelines and the large system? Together with this, the question must be raised: Where were local healthcare staff and social workers when people needed them the most?
It is urgently needed to protect the girl beyond the surface level. This can only be done with the active participation of the government and civil society. There is a need to work in the soil, where the focus should be on village devices, local health centers and schools. Only a few slogans cannot change the fate of a girl in this country. Through active participation and consciousness drives and a persistent commitment of the community, we can support rural women to defend themselves against regressive traditions and to tackle poverty that are further combined with discrimination.
Together with the government and civil society, there is a need for media that dig deeper and asks why these tragedies happen – is it because of poverty, prejudice or patriarchy? This special question should not only be limited to the government, civil society or the media. It must be asked in our houses, communities, schools and all the places where this way of thinking is rooted and grows.
Himani is a postgraduate in political science from Ramjas College, University of Delhi, with a sharp academic focus on gender, culture and social justice. Your academic and field experience includes research and project coordination in areas such as tribal entrepreneurship, environmental representative and non-profit services.