Christians raise concern over Female Extinction from Foetuses

The recent discovery of illegally aborted female foetuses and body parts found in a dry well in Bhubaneshwar, the capital of eastern Orissa state, has not only raised concerns for Christian organizations, but they have condemned such heinous crime. Unwanted young girls become an easy prey for sex trade. And imbalance of sex ratio may cause problems in the coming days.

India Christian Women body say this is an alarming crisis due to female feticide in India.

T. Sabitha Swaraj, president of the All India Council of Christian Women, bewailed, "This is a dangerous situation and, if it continues, there will be the extinction of female children."

Ecumenical News International, quoted Swaraj saying, "This is not a new development. Feticide has been going on for years and those engaging in it seem to have become bolder now."

During a seminar in Delhi, Renuka Chowdhury, the minister for women and child development, conceded that more than 10 million girls had been killed over the last 20 years due to female feticide and the parents are to be blamed for the death of these children.

Many rural areas in India still live on their traditional mindset. They prefer boys to girls as breadwinners and also the fear of having to pay huge dowries to marry off daughters, drive them to commit infanticide.

Founder and President of Gospel for Asia KP Yohannan says the problem isn't new. "When a girl is born, instead of rejoicing there is weeping in the house because the prospect of that girl getting married frightens parents because of the money –– the dowry system –– to get these girls married off. And, therefore, killing all the female babies and abortion is huge."

According to Yohannan, if these children aren't killed, they're faced with another tragedy. "More and more reports are coming of young children being sold from state to state for the sex trade and business."
Gospel For Asia is one of the forerunners in looking after the abandoned girls in India by providing shelters, education, etc.

Meanwhile the women church leaders commented that even some Christians are guilty of female feticide.

Police suspect the body parts mainly skulls and bones were dumped in the well shortly after birth or abortion at the clinic in Nayagarh district, Bhubaneshwar. The manager of the clinic has been arrested.

Some Non–governmental organizations are doing their best to raise abandoned street girls but how far can they go to protect all unwanted girls in the country? The central government must take steps to ensure that girls are protected and the killing of female foetuses stopped immediately. Otherwise, imbalance sex ratio may cause more complicated problem in the coming days.