Imphal, December 08: Inspite of the contribution being made by Manipuri women in various fields, be it sports, socio-economic or in taking up important issues of the State, mothers who give birth to only daughters are being discriminated in many families.

Ironically, it is a society where goddesses are being revered.

Participating in a programme held in connection with the Fortnight-long observance against violence and crimes on women in the hall of Institute for Responding to Conflict and Development at Siddhartt village in Chandel district today, K Sanglei, one of the many such victims of violence and crimes against women, pointed out that in accordance with tribal customary law, daughters do not have the rights to inherit the properties.

So, all the parents long for sons thinking that it is the sons who would look after them during their old age.

In such a social set up, discrimination against mothers who give birth to daughter is very strong, said Sanglei, who herself is a mother of four daughters.

Denouncing the attitude of her husband who left her and married another woman just because she could not bear him a son, Sanglei observed that to a mother any child, whether a boy or a girl is the same.

Apart from the suffering that every women go through in giving birth, their husbands should understand the mental trauma being gone through by the women in wondering whether they would give birth to a son or a daughter, an emotionally choked Sanglei said while recounting her own story.

She recalled that when her first daughter was born, every one still looked after her well.

But she started noticing a perceptible change in the attitude of her husband and other family members toward her which went on increasing as she gave birth to only daughters in her subsequent deliveries.

When the third daughter was born, her husband told her to throw away the child as he could not take care of three daughters in the family.

So, when she was pregnant for the fourth time, Sanglei went to a doctor and took the ultrasound to find out the sex of the unborn child without the knowledge of her husband.

When it was found out that the child in her womb was a girl, she thought of aborting it.

But the doctor refused to abort the child by telling her that the birth of a girl child should not be considered as a burden.

When Sanglei finally gave birth to her fourth daughter, her husband her and subsequently married another woman.

Sanglei further informed that the education of girl child is not encourage in most of the villages of Chandel district.

Instead, they go to the field for cultivation or weave cloths to earn money to support the education of their brothers.

Organised under the auspices of All Tribal Women Organisation, Chandel district, the programme was attended by Reverend Dhameshwari Devi, field executive of Centre for Social Development Memchoubi, president of All Tribal Women's Organisation, Chandel district TK Anita Devi and secretary of the organisation Diana Ramlay as presidium members.

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