A man in northern India was arrested after slashing his pregnant wife's stomach with a sickle, allegedly to find out the unborn baby's gender, according to police and the woman's relatives.
The attack, which took place on Saturday, caused the baby's death and left the mother in critical condition.
She remains hospitalized in intensive care in the capital New Delhi, said police in Budaun, Uttar Pradesh state.
"He attacked her with a sickle and ripped her stomach saying that he wanted to check the gender of the unborn child," according to the woman's brother, Golu Singh.The couple already have five daughters.
Police said the baby was stillborn late on Sunday and the husband had been remanded in custody.
India has long struggled with pervasive gender inequality and a preference for sons over daughters, which are often viewed as economic burdens -- reinforced by cultural practices like requiring a bride to provide a dowry.
Some couples will keep trying until a boy is born, leading to the birth of tens of millions of "unwanted" girls, according to the 2017-18 Economic Survey. Abortion is legal in India, but sex-selective terminations, which often target female fetuses, are not.
But still, hundreds of thousands of female fetuses are aborted every year in India, according to US-based NGO Invisible Girl Project. As a result, India has one of the most skewed sex ratios in the world.
For every 107 males born in the country, there are 100 females. According to the World Health Organization, the global natural sex ratio at birth is 105 males for every 100 females.
Even if a daughter is born instead of aborted, they often face higher mortality rates due to inadequate care; a 2018 study found that an estimated 239,000 girls under the age of five die in India every year due to gender-based neglect.
The areas worst affected by this problem are typically in rural regions, with low levels of education, high population densities and high birth rates.
Some of the ingrained preference is due to the norms governing inheritance, the dowry requirement, the tradition of women joining their husband's households, and rituals which need to be performed by male children.
Latest Stories
-
KNUST, University of Rwanda share experiences in implementation of Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program
8 mins -
Top 10 most visited tourist sites in Ghana 2023
11 mins -
Cecilia Dapaah case: My government will reopen investigation into alleged acts of corruption – Mahama
16 mins -
GRA boss charges customs officers to be professional ahead of 2024 general elections
34 mins -
NPP thanks stakeholders for successful Ejisu by-election
36 mins -
Bawumia promises to involve chiefs in licensing miners if elected President
39 mins -
Koda should have visited the pastor to avert the prophecy – Ajagurajah
1 hour -
Emotional support alligator taken and released in swamp
1 hour -
A mate is a mate, Bawumia can’t be in the driver’s seat – NDC Communicator
1 hour -
Over 400 million Google accounts have used passkeys, but our passwordless future remains elusive
1 hour -
Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park surpasses Aburi Gardens as most visited site in 2023 – GTA
1 hour -
Third IFC EDGE Students Design Competition opens in Ghana
1 hour -
Baidoo: Disgraceful maltreatment of the Black Princesses must stop
2 hours -
Telecel Ghana commits to community collaboration during Western Region tour
2 hours -
Chieftaincy Ministry shouldn’t have written the letter – Atuguba on Akufo-Addo-chiefs saga
2 hours