Female Feoticide in India with Special reference to State of Jammu and Kashmir

Violence against women is often a cycle of abuse that manifests itself in many forms throughout their lives. Even at the very beginning of her life, a girl may be the target of sex-selective abortion or female infanticide in cultures where son preference is prevalent. Globally, at least one in three women has experienced some form of gender based abuse during her life time. Violence against women and girls can begin before birth and continue throughout their lives into old age. The modern science and technology is also used for the exploitation of the women. Now the tests are being carried out in order to determine the fate of the child in the mother womb. If the foetus is that of the female child, then, it is destroyed. The girl child is most socially disadvantaged. At every stage of her life cycle from conception to adulthood, she is vulnerable to human rights abuse. It is necessary to protect the rights of the girl child particularly her right to be born, her right to remain alive, her right to protection from neglect and abuse, and her right to a secure family environment. Female Foeticide is a grave social evil. There is a serious decline in the number of females in state of Jammu and Kashmir. The census report of 2011 revealed that the sex ratio of the population of Jammu and Kashmir has shown decline in the number of females over the past years. The figures - has dwindled from 900 in 2001 to 883 in 2011. The aim of this paper is to highlight the issue of female foeticide in India with special reference to state of Jammu and Kashmir and to discuss causes consequences and legal provisons relating to Female Foeticide.