Imagine you have a younger sister who was just born. You are very excited to have a new addition to your family, but your parents are not so happy. They wish that your sister was born a boy instead. This is because in some parts of India, people prefer boys over girls. They think that boys are more important and valuable than girls.
In fact, some families are so unhappy with their baby girl that they choose to do something really terrible. They decide to kill her. This is called female infanticide.
Infanticide means killing a baby that is less than a year old. Female infanticide is when the baby that is killed is a girl. This is a very sad thing that happens in some parts of India because people don't value girls as much as boys.
It is important to know that killing a baby is not just illegal, it is also immoral. It means taking someone's life away and not giving them the opportunity to grow, learn, and contribute to their community.
In India, there are laws against female infanticide. People who are caught killing a baby can go to jail. However, the problem is still happening. One reason for this is that sometimes families feel like they don't have a choice. They might feel like they cannot afford to keep a baby girl, because they need to pay for dowries.
A dowry is a payment that the bride's family has to make to the groom's family at the time of the wedding. In some parts of India, dowries are very expensive. Families can spend all of their money on them. Having a baby girl means that they will need to save more money for the dowry. This is something that some families cannot afford.
Another reason why female infanticide happens is because of the way people think about girls. Some people feel like girls are not as valuable as boys because they think that girls will eventually get married and leave the family. Boys are seen as more valuable because they will continue the family name and take care of the family business.
Overall, female infanticide is a very sad thing that happens in India because people do not value girls as much as boys. It is important to know that everyone should be valued equally, no matter if they are a boy or a girl. Killing a baby is never the right thing to do, and we should work together to make sure that this awful practice comes to an end.