In the rural areas of India, it’s still a common practice to intentionally kill baby girls. Girls are not preferred as they are seen as an economic burden on their parents. Parents about to marry off their daughters usually have to pay for the wedding and give a large dowry to the groom’s family (even though its illegal nowadays). Due to this, despite the mother’s cries, the parents-in-law usually decide the baby girls’ future.
Usually the death should look natural, to avoid getting in trouble with the officials. The child might be given a poisonous milk, be wrapped in cold sheets to catch pneumonia or left without food.
The Mercy Home for Abandoned Babies is an orphanage in South India, an hour’s drive from Madurai. They rescue unwanted baby girls. Some are surrendered by parents, some they receive from the hospital, some are found by roads, bus stops, trash or streets.
I have assisted Relief Project India in bringing the standard of the Mercy Home up, so that more of these rescued babies can have a second chance in life in an adoptive family. You can read from these pages where we started off and what has been accomplished so far. You can also find information on how you can help these babies.