What is female infanticide?

The practice of killing newborn girls.

How has female infanticide been reduced?

Through education, economic empowerment, and safe houses.

A mother convicted of murdering her newborn daughter.

Changing societal attitudes, particularly among adolescent girls.

Stigma around adoption and societal taboos.

The cost of raising a daughter in India, exacerbated by expensive ceremonies and the prevalent dowry system, poses a significant financial burden for families, reflecting deep-rooted gender biases and societal pressures.
Efforts led by organizations like the Indian Council for Child Welfare, backed by Australian aid, have made strides in reducing female infanticide rates through education, economic empowerment, and safe havens for unwanted infants, emphasizing the importance of addressing societal attitudes and dismantling patriarchal structures for sustained progress.

What is female infanticide?
The practice of killing newborn girls.
How has female infanticide been reduced?
Through education, economic empowerment, and safe houses.
What sparked debates on female infanticide in Madurai?
A mother convicted of murdering her newborn daughter.
What is the future of combating female infanticide?
Changing societal attitudes, particularly among adolescent girls.
What are the challenges in combating female infanticide?
Stigma around adoption and societal taboos.

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Vijaya Chela Pandey is celebrating her coming of age in a village near Madurai, with her mother Lakshmi eager to announce the occasion.
The cost of raising a daughter in India, including expensive ceremonies and the illegal but still prevalent dowry system, is a significant burden for families.
Female infanticide, a shocking practice rooted in gender discrimination, is a grim reality in some parts of India, with societal attitudes and economic incentives playing crucial roles in combating it.
Efforts by organizations like the Indian Council for Child Welfare, supported by Australian aid, have significantly reduced the rate of female infanticide through education, economic empowerment, and safe houses for unwanted babies.
Despite progress, adoption as an alternative to infanticide carries its own stigma, and societal taboos around discussing female infanticide persist, even after legal actions against perpetrators.
A landmark case in Madurai, where a mother was convicted of murdering her newborn daughter, sparked debates on the effectiveness of legal measures in combating female infanticide and societal attitudes towards women.
The future of combating female infanticide lies in changing societal attitudes, particularly among adolescent girls who will become the mothers of the next generation, highlighting the need for sustained efforts to dismantle patriarchal structures in Indian society.