As the level of female foeticide is exposed in the UK, Radhika Sanghani asks a Hindu community leader what part religion and tradition play in this gender bias.
Female foeticide is happening in the UK. For those of you who aren’t clear on the term, it means selectively aborting a foetus just because it is female. A horrifying prospect, but one that has led to a shortfall of 200 million girls worldwide.
In the UK, it has reduced the female population by between 1,500 and 4,700 according to an investigation by The Independent., which follows the original Telegraph investigation that exposed the issue last year. Jasvinder Saghera, who founded charity Karma Nirvana, said gender-based abortions are happening within the South Asian population in Britain. The practice has been seen amongst British Indians and Pakistanis who believe sons will continue on the family line, and are economically preferable as they do not require dowries.
