“Daughter of Kashmir” killed by parents, found in a river. Ishfaq Kawa sends out a message
Umran Hussain
In a heart wrenching incident, Kashmir’s singing sensation, Ishfaq Kawa took to Facebook and shared the video of a dead baby girl found in a river.
In a two minute long video, Ishfaq shared the horrible incident with the netizens. “Me along with my friends were treading on the banks of the river and we found a baby girl floating in the river. We are preparing to perform her last rites now.” Said Ishfaq Kawa.
Are our girls born to die?
“It’s a Girl!” have been the three horrible words for most people of our stereotypical society. Our valley is patriarchal. Believe it or not, a hierarchy does prevail in our social order and a deliberate preference for male children is very common in our society.
In places where cultural norms give preference to male over female children, selective abortions or female foeticides and infanticides are prevalent.
Since ancient times, men have been unnecessarily praised as the key to continue the family lineage whilst females are forced to undergo multiple pregnancies or abortions until they become breeding machines that produce male children only. This is deliberately done under family pressure from the husband or the in-laws or even the woman’s parents.
Unfortunately true that a majority of female foeticide and infanticide cases involve the participation of women themselves, both old and young. Even the mothers-to-be agree to this misdeed out of an inherited social bias and a sense of duty towards the family.
