Neonaticide in India and the stigma of female gender: report of two cases

Mishra, Kirtisudha; Ramachandran, Smita; Kumar, Ajay; Tiwari, Soumya; Chopra, Nidhi; Datta, Vikram; Saili, Arvind

doi:10.1179/2046905513y.0000000076

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…She and two Indian women were in the same situation [4]. The stigma of female gender is much more humiliating than illegitimacy in India [4]. According to the results from this study, the stigma of female gender in Shanghai, China is slighter than illegitimacy, and not as awful as India.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

“…Even this pregnancy was intended, she killed her baby. She and two Indian women were in the same situation [4]. The stigma of female gender is much more humiliating than illegitimacy in India [4].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This phenomenon has different names in the past, then forensic psychiatrist Phillip Resnick coined the name neonaticide which usually was committed by a biological parent and distinguished from the killing of older children (infanticide or filicide) [1,2]. It happens in many countries with different cultures and development levels, such as the US, Germany, Netherland, India, France and Austria [3][4][5][6][7][8]. Though neonaticide is usually covert and rarely appeared in the media, there is voluminous literature on neonaticide from the 18th and 19th centuries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Postpartum depression is contributed to infanticide [13][14][15]. Maybe it is a reasonable interpretation for neonaticide, but the previous studies revealed that unwanted child was the main motive for neonaticide rather than postpartum depression [4,6,12]. Stigma of illegitimacy, stigma of giving birth of a female newborn and removal of burden were contributed to neonaticide.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stigma of illegitimacy, stigma of giving birth of a female newborn and removal of burden were contributed to neonaticide. Stigma of baby girl seems the most common motive to commit neonaticide in India, which is even more humiliating than illegitimate child [4,12]. In China, the similarly populous country in Asia, son preference is also a traditional evil [16,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Retrospective Study of Neonaticides in Shanghai from 2007 to 2013

Li¹,

Ge²,

Xue³

et al. 2017

J Forensic Res

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Neonaticide is defined as killing of a newborn within the first 24 hours of life. Neonaticide happens globally. The characteristics and motives of Chinese neonaticide are unknown. This study is committed to outline Chinese neonaticide offenders' characteristics and primary motives. Neonaticide cases in Shanghai Public Security Bureau (SPSB) were reviewed and analyzed. All offenders were domestic migrants with normal mental status. Neonaticide offenders' common characteristics such as biological mother, young age, immaturity, being unmarried, low socioeconomic status and having an unwanted pregnancy were confirmed. 18 unmarried offenders were resident in Shanghai under 2 years. Their first sexual experience occurred around coming to Shanghai. The offenses occurred under 2 years after coming to Shanghai due to the stigma of illegitimacy. 2 married offenders were resident in Shanghai over 5 years. They both already had children. They committed neonaticides due to the stigma of giving birth to a female newborn and removal of a burden. Migration, life changes and separation from original families were verified and could be seen as a main factor in the neonaticides. First sexual experience, unwanted pregnancy and neonaticide occurred in unmarried young women under this background. Unwanted baby was primary motive. Unmarried young women with low socio-economic status and recent migration who got unwanted pregnancies are more prone to commit neonaticide. Basic medical care and interventions should be extensively spread in them to improve human beings' well-beings.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

A Retrospective Study of Neonaticides in Shanghai from 2007 to 2013

Li¹,

Ge²,

Xue³

et al. 2017

J Forensic Res

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Homicides and Maltreatment‐related Deaths of Disabled Children: A Systematic Review

2019

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This article aims to systematically review the empirical literature in relation to the homicides and maltreatment‐related deaths of disabled children in order to better understand the risk factors and to assess support for the explanatory theories posited. These theories include: (1) the stress of caregiving; (2) altruistic intent; (3) lack of bonding with the child; (4) the challenging behaviours the child; (5) cultural beliefs about disabled children; and (6) evolutionary imperatives. Systematic searching techniques were used to retrieve relevant research articles in six electronic databases: AMED, CINAHL, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Medline (PubMed), PsycINFO and SCOPUS. The issue of a child being disabled was identified as a risk factor in most reviewed articles, however the definition of the term ‘disability’ was not consistent nor was there a consistent approach to recording children's disability. A range of potential risk factors were found, relating to the child, the perpetrator and the environment, with the pathway to harming the child involving an interactive process between each of these. The stress of caregiving and altruistic theories were the two most common explanations for homicides and maltreatment‐related deaths of disabled children, although a combination of theories may provide a more comprehensive explanation of these complex events.‘This article aims to systematically review the empirical literature in relation to the homicides and maltreatment‐related deaths of disabled children’Key Practitioner Messages Coordination of clear care pathways for families with disabled children, including the provision of support and counselling. Improved professional awareness of the needs of disabled children and understanding that these needs may not coincide with those of their parents or carers. Provision of opportunities for respite to enable parents of disabled children to continue their task of caring. Need for consistent data on disabled children to be collected through existing child death review processes and the criminal justice system.

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The worldwide incidence of neonaticide: a systematic review

Tanaka

Berger

Valença

et al. 2016

Arch Womens Ment Health

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Neonaticide is the killing of a neonate on the day of its birth by his/her own mother. Neonaticidal women were reported to be predominantly young, unmarried, and primiparous. The motive for murdering the newborn relates to the shame, the fear of rejection, and abandonment by significant others, and the social stigmas associated with an illegitimate birth. The goal of the present study was to conduct a systematic review of the scientific literature and identify population-based studies reporting the incidence of neonaticide in different countries. A total of 485 abstracts were screened. After applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria, 10 studies were selected. Additional searches identified two more articles. Most of these studies were from Europe, where incidence varied from 0.07 (Finland, 1980-2000 period) to 8.5 neonaticides per 100000 births (Austria, 1975-2001 period). More recent studies have indicated that a growing proportion of neonaticidal women are married, multiparous, and suffers from mental disorders. Preventive measures, such as anonymous free delivery, were shown to reduce the incidence of neonaticide, although this effect may be short-lived. Despite social and institutional changes, neonaticide persists even in the most socially advanced, liberal, and prosperous societies in the world.

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Neonaticide in India and the stigma of female gender: report of two cases

Cited by 7 publications

References 19 publications

A Retrospective Study of Neonaticides in Shanghai from 2007 to 2013

A Retrospective Study of Neonaticides in Shanghai from 2007 to 2013

Homicides and Maltreatment‐related Deaths of Disabled Children: A Systematic Review

The worldwide incidence of neonaticide: a systematic review

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