Vrinda Shenoy appeals to society to shed prejudice and nurture girls
Mangaluru, Nov 2, 2022: “IT’S A GIRL” was the answer that shattered the father outside the labour theatre when the nurse revealed the birth of a little one. One can’t digest the truth of a few parents still discriminating against the female foetus to this day in some places, particularly in rural areas. The Indian government has banned prenatal sex determination under the Pre-Conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act 1994. Unfortunately, the birth of a child still brings a bitter expression to those who assume the entire future from a boy to a girl.
It all begins here. The life of a child is destroyed gradually when the child is getting ready to blossom and exist in the world in girl form. The time to feel secure, enjoy the warmth of a mother, cuddle and care for a newborn is snatched away, and most of the time, girls are either killed in the name of abortion or made to feel insecure even after their first cry. The broken girl who seeks company and affection from her parents and family ends up ruining her dreams and emotions when the family members betray the fruit of their love and union.
Society easily forgets at times to acknowledge the worth of a woman—a power to bring a new life into this world. Who is she? She has been simply a victim of comparison with boys, and her freedom is seized in the name of a big label: YOU’RE A GIRL! The common sentence in such houses will be, “I wish you were a boy instead of a girl.” How long will she bear the pain in silence? Surely, she bursts into tears and wonders, “What is it that her parents will find in a boy that isn’t in her?”If that attention and genuine support are given to a girl and she’s allowed to enjoy freedom equal to that of a boy, she’s never less than a boy. She can go to any extent to make her life the best. All she needs is people who walk her through the dark nights and those hard miles with a calm smile when she fixes her trust and confidence in them.
If she is well nurtured, she carries the story of grace, elegance, and fragrance, and blends like sugar into a glass of milk, so easily and effortlessly, making space for dissolving new vibes into self without spilling them out and demanding the rights she requires as a girl child. For the empowered woman is both powerful and beautiful beyond description.The fateful condition in our country is that animals are treated better than girl children or women, wherein the abuse begins in the womb itself. Where will the safest place be for girls now? Just browse Google and you will find heart-breaking facts about how a man was caught raping a dead body, a 13-year old rape victim giving birth to a baby, and what pained me most was the rape of a newborn daughter by her own father. Where are we heading to? Is this a civilised society?
As a responsible citizen, and parent, kindly try to be the one who stops gender discrimination and stops damaging the wreck already created, and let you and me not be the reason to make it worse. Let every child feel the warmth and enjoy the life they are gifted with. May the womb, family, and society be a place of honor and respect for each individual to live in dignity and in human approach. We are accountable for how we raise our children in society, and it all begins in FAMILY.
VRINDA SHENOY is a 1st Year B.Ed student at St. Aloysius Institute of Education, Mangalore