For expecting parents, finding out the gender of their child can be the most exciting time of a pregnancy. Although I cannot speak from experience, I imagine most parents-to-be have an idea of what their family looks like even before laying eyes on their first child. Parents look forward to things like family vacations, holidays and simply watching their child grow up.
Even if your newborn does not turn out to be the gender you expected, you should still love them unconditionally, and most families do.
Sadly, this is not the case for all parents. A three-month-old baby from Bangalore, India, named Neha Afreen, died Wednesday after enduring beatings from her father as punishment.
Her crime? Being born a female.
Afreen’s father, Umar Farook, wanted a son so badly he abused his daughter repeatedly, and his actions led to her death.
Eventually, Afreen suffered cardiac arrest brought upon by months of abuse. Her mother, Reshma Banu, brought her to the Vani Vilas hospital, where she died 20 minutes later, according to an April 11 article from thehindu.com. Afreen came to the hospital with multiple hemorrhages in her brain and retina, along with bite marks and cigar burns all over her body, according to the same article.
This kind of torture is horrific. Inflicting it upon anyone is inexcusable, especially against a defenseless newborn.
Unfortunately, this is not uncommon. It is understood women are still treated like second-class citizens in some cultures, and many history books speak of queens being forced to endure pregnancy after pregnancy in the hopes she will produce a male heir.
You would think stupidity like that would be in the past. Well, it’s not. Just a month ago in India, another baby suffered an unnecessary death due to her gender.
When speaking to BBC News April 11, Banu said, “My baby was innocent. (Farook) has killed a child … she could not even fight back. He should be given the strictest punishment.”
I completely agree with this statement. I am sure if Farook had received the son he had wanted, the scenario would have played out differently. But a man with such disregard for life does not deserve such happiness.
People like Farook are the reason gender discrimination still exists. The crimes he committed against his 3-month-old daughter were heinous, and I can only hope that his punishment shows him the same kind of pain he has inflicted on others.
