Publication Cover
Reproductive Health Matters
An international journal on sexual and reproductive health and rights
Volume 5, 1997 - Issue 10: The international women's health movement
1,755
Views
28
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Female infanticide in Tamil Nadu, India: From recognition back to denial?

Pages 124-132 | Published online: 01 Nov 1997

References

  • T.K.S. Ravindran. Health implications of gender discrimination in childhood: unravelling the complexities. 1997; World Health Organization: Geneva. (forthcoming).
  • J.W. Anderson. Oppressed: women in the developing world face cradle to grave discrimination and poverty. Washington Post. 1993; A1. 14 February. Washington DC.
  • A. Ramanamma. The mania for sons: an analysis of social values in South Asia. Social Science and Medicine. 14B: 1980; 107.
  • V. Patel. Sex determination and sex pre-selection tests in India: modern techniques for femicide. Bulletin ofConcerned Asian Scholars. 21: 1989; 2.
  • Advertisement. Septemer 1988; India Abroad: New York.
  • A. Mitra. Female foeticide. A primitive trend practised the world over. Down to Earth. 31 October. 43: 1993
  • N.D. Kristof. Peasants of China discover new ways to weed out girls. New York Times. 1993; 1. 21 July.
  • J.D. Stephen. Sexing the fetus. Lancet. 338: 1991; 1336. Cases of female infanticide are sensationalised by the media in Canada.
  • M. Das Gupta. Intensified gender bias in India: a consequence of fertility decline. Presented at Annual Meeting, Population Associatior of America, New Orleans, May, 1996
  • P. Iyengar. Girls in Salem are born to die. Times of India. 2: 1992; 1. August. Bombay.
  • G. Aravamudan. The killing fields: female infanticide. Week. 1994; 12. 3 April. Kottayam.
  • E. Bumiller. May You Be the Mother ofa Hundred Sons. 1990; Random House: New York.
  • A.M. Basu. Is discriminatior in food really necessary for explaining sex differentials in childhood mortality?. Population Studies. 43: 1989; 193–210.
  • Vaasanthi. Born to die: tragedy of the doomed daughter. Hindu. 1994. 20 November. Madras. V.
  • S.M. George. Female infanticide in South Indian villages. Economic and Political Weekly. 27: 1992; 1153.
  • R. Venkatachalam. Female Infanticide. 1993; HarAnand: New Delhi.
  • B. Harris-White. Development and death: adverse child sex-ratios in rural Tamil Nadu. Frontline. 1997; 89. 4 april. Madras.
  • S.M. George. An evaluation of good growth monitoring in South Indian villages. Lancet. 342: 1993; 348.
  • B.B. Nielsen. Reproductive pattern, perinatal mortality, and sex preference in rural Tamil Nadu, South India: community-based, crosssectional study. BMJ. 314: 1997; 1521–1524. (May).
  • S.M. George. The government response to female infanticide in Tamil Nadu: from recognition back to denial?. Paper presented at MIDS-ICSSR 25th Interdisciplinary Research Methodology Workshop for Southern States, Kottayam, August, 1995
  • S.R. Chunkath. Female infanticide in Tamil Nadu: some evidence. Economic and Political Weekly. 1997. 26 April. WS-21.
  • V.B. Athreya. Gender discrimination strikes: disquieting aspects of early neonatal deaths in Tamil Nadu. Frontline. 1997; 94. 11 July. Madras.
  • This figure comes from the author's personal knowledge after years of work in North Arcot and Madurai districts, but see also [20].
  • A.A. Kielmann. Child and Maternal Health Services in Rural India: The Narangwal Experiment. Vol 1: 1983; Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore.
  • M. Das Gupta. Selective discrimination against female children in rural Punjab. Population & Development Review. 13: 1987; 77.
  • P.K. Muhuri. Effects of family composition on mortality differentials by sex among children in Matlab, Bangladesh. Population & Development Review. 17: 1991; 415.
  • S.H. Venkatramani. Female infanticide: born to die. India Today. 28: 1986; 28. 15 June.
  • P. Iyengar. Female infanticide: sex ratio in Tamil Nadu dips. Times of India. 1993; 1. 30 January, Bombay.
  • S.M. George. The practices of female infanticide and female feticide: responses by Non-Governmental Organisations. J.M.K. Sekhar, S.M. George. Towards Prevention of Female Infanticide. 1995; Centre for Rural Health and Social Education: Tirupatur.
  • Personal communications with members of SIRD during 1994-5.
  • Dr J Jayalalitha 15-Point Programme for Child Welfare. November 1993; Government of Tamil Nadu, Department of Social Welfare. Madras.
  • Father gets life term for female infanticide. Hindu. November 6 1992. Madras.
  • A. Renganathan. Female infanticide in Salem district. Report prepared by VRDP, Omalur and CEDA Trust. 1995. Dindigul.
  • Schemes to make Salem district female friendly. Hindu. June 9 1994. Madras.
  • R. Kirubhakaran. Secretary to Government of Tamil Nadu, Social Welfare & Nutritious Meal Programme Department, Government Order, Ms No 533. 13 October 1992. Madras.
  • R. Kirubhakaran. Secretary to Government of Tamil Nadu, Social Welfare & Nutritious Meal Programme Department, Government Order, Ms No 184. 13 July 1993. Madras.
  • R. Kirubhakaran. Secretary to Government of Tamil Nadu, Social Welfare & Nutritious Meal Programme Department, Government Order, Ms No 533. 11 October 1993. Madras.
  • R. Kirubhakaran. Secretary to Government of Tamil Nadu, Social Welfare & Nutritious Meal Programme Department, Government Order, Ms No 21. 19 January 1994. Madras.
  • Personal communication with an NGO worker in Madurai, October 1994.
  • Personal communication with an NGO worker in Madurai, March 1995.
  • Personal observations from field work in 1996–1997 in Haryana. For female infanticide practice see. B.D. Miller. The Endangered Sex: Neglect offemale Children in Rural North India. 1981; Cornell University Press: New York. Supportive evidence of widespread sex-specific abortions in the 1980s-90s can be obtained from sex ratios at birth (males per hundred females) which is highest in the North Western states in India (115 and 113 for Haryana and Punjab respectively). See Women in India: A Statistical Profile, 1997. Department of Women and Child Development, Government of India, New Delhi, 1997. The sex ratio of hospital births in Punjab in 1988 was 122.
  • R. Martorell. Long-term consequences of growth retardation during early childhood. M. Hernandez, J. Argente. Human Growth: Basic and Clinical Aspects. 1992
  • S.M. George. Nutrition education can reduce gender inequity in growth of pre-school children in rural South India. Paper presented at American Institute of Nutrition Meeting. 1994; FASEB: Anaheim CA, USA. April.
  • S. Batliwala. The meaning of women's empowerment: new concepts from action. G. Sen, A. Germain, L.C. Chen. Population Policies Reconsidered. 1994; Harvard University Press.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.