Depressed and sad…
…to read about the drop in sex-ratio in the latest census figures.
The girl-child is the most precious thing any family and society can have. She is “Shakti” incarnate, the bearer of life, the essence of a civilisation’s culture, values and morals…
If she is at risk, the civilisation and the culture will eventually perish…
No society or country can ever become great unless it treasures the girl-child, nurtures it and nourishes it…
Treasure the girl-child, make her feel safe, wanted and loved. She is the future of India and our civilisation….
Image courtesy: IndianChild.com
What is required now is a national movement on the scale of Save the Tiger movement to save the girl child.
And all this shakti incarnate is the religious belief of select few, at least I as a Hindu don’t believe that girl child is more precious than boy child. Moreover, irrespective of whether or not this shakti-incarnate-business is true, this form of activism is pointless time waste, as you are just looking at the symptoms rather than the root causes.
The reason this happens is that WOMAN’S MARRIAGE IS FRICKIN’ EXPENSIVE. Many people think of foetus as unrealized life, and people are concerned with their own problems more than with those of the society. And who would want their daughter to get stuck without marriage?
What anyone with half a ball should do is to campaign against expensive marriages or, at least ensure that their own marriage is low key. And how can that happen, when all these rich fucks who smugly smirk at the uncultured rest-of-India drape themselves in gold for such functions, thus strengthening the implicit societal convention that marriages should involve tonnes of gold.
I have actually tried to get some close people to go for inexpensive marriages, but none of them obliged. Everyone dismisses me as a crank. Well, continue being “practical”, and continue to suffer, our country deserves this as it is populated with such self-aggrandizing thugs…
Shantanu, I think you will make a great difference if you can start organizing relatively-low-key community marriages – that will save much expenditure. Or at least try to get people start doing so. May be very hard, but certainly worth it.
Read Prassoon’s article
http://indianrealist.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/female-feticide-%E2%80%93-a-mysterious-propaganda/
I believe the sex ratio has climbed up slightly, but the child sex ratio (of children below 6) has dropped precipitously.
Remember that human beings are programmed by nature to produce slightly more girl children than boys. That means that there are tens of millions of girls being aborted/killed.
I’m afraid this won’t change till the situation reaches China’s levels. Today, in China, the parents of marriageable girls (a highly scarce commodity) are demand very high economic benefits before giving the girl in marriage. In 15-20 years, these boys will become of marriageable age and be forced to PAY to get married. That will be the turning point, I guess.
Regards
Sanjeev
“Remember that human beings are programmed by nature to produce slightly more girl children than boys. That means that there are tens of millions of girls being aborted/killed.”
In Netherlands it is (- At birth: 1.05 male/female ) (from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_Netherlands)
In India it is At birth: 1.12 male(s)/female (2009 est.)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_India)
Mr.Sabhlok,
If tens of millions of girls are being aborted/killed in India, then Please tell us how many millions of girls are being aborted/ killed in Netherlands??
Sabhlok : Remember that human beings are programmed by nature to produce slightly more girl children than boys. That means that there are tens of millions of girls being aborted/killed.
You are wrong, see http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005083.html
Look at the positives: the girls will become more sought after commodity in the dowry infected disease that is hall mark of Hindu society.
think pragmatically than sensationalising it.. The possible reason for that the difference in sex ratio is because of the sudden family planning implemented by the government.. so when every family all of sudden restricts itself to just one or two childs, the ration will naturally differ.. abortion, female infanticide are also the main reasons, but not the sole reason..
@sohan (#7)
I wish you were a little more sensitive and not used the term ‘commodity’ with respect to a girl (or even a boy). On the other side, this is already happening. Four years back, one of my Gujrati friends told me that a Gujrati NRI family could not find bride in Gujrat and had to pay for the bride, that too from other province. Sort of a reverse dowry – still not a good thing but this is the shape of the things to come.
Dowry is one part of it. Expensive marriage ceremony is another. During my own marriage I fought tooth and nail over the huge expense and then the members of the extended family were very disturbed over my perceived frugality because they somehow assumed that I make more money than them and therefore I am socially liable to spend more than I want. But then after marriage, I discovered my in-laws spent at least three times over my own spending and there was no dowry involved. We are talking about rural Bengal here and rural Bengal is much more impoverished than the most of the country. After attending some of the northy and southie marriages over last decade, I found the waste of money is truly shocking and unproductive. I am shuddered to think that some people take personal loan to meet this level of stupidity.
As some of my friends might suggest, legislation against dowry or putting heavy tax on marriage cost would not work because the law-and-order device is completely broken in our country and to understand how such laws encourage corruption and harassment one just needs to look at the laws related to prevention of atrocities against new bride where semi-educated and arrogant officer-in-charge is required to mediate between two families. I do not think I am a minority when it comes to criticizing this stupid extravaganza. There are many more who felt that way but can not voice it. What is needed is probably an honor-based system where those who do not take dowry or limit their spending can be publicly honored in a locality. That is the only short term fix we can come up with.
Want to feel even worse?
We have no idea of the number of dhimmified or love jihad victim women who are being converted to islam to produce more jihadists.
The skew in the demography graph against girls is not a unique phenomenon
to India. Its the global trend and in my opinion the women in the family are the most common reason for this.Probably they never want a child to live with the sufferings that they themselves have lived.Women is goddess and a icon of power is good for books and lectures but not for real. I believe we shall be salvaged if we could just maintain the existing sex ratio, leave improving it.
Men, for their own survival should realize the value of women.
Dear All: Thanks for some very thoughtful comments..Will try and respond at some point…cannot promise/currently travelling…
I thought that classic liberals would be more understanding as to how difficult is it to change a society’s mores. Until girls are seen as less of a burden, this will continue.
Legislation is not a way to do anything in current India since the enforcement mechanism sucks, big time.
If enforcement wasn’t an issue, then the simplest solution is to give tradeable, quota credits to all young women say 91 credits to every woman. To produce a male child, everyone needs 100 credits. Let the trading begin. Every male is not able to produce a receipt for 100 credits to the government gets his genitals removed. Adjust the credits given to all young women depending on the ratio that shows up in the decadal census.
But putting a lid on the authoritarian fantasies for now. What are the peaceful processes that can be followed?
Publish data – Name and Shame. Publish data by community. Show them their true face. Publicize communities that are rich, but are still killing their girls.
Apply pressure on all high profile gurus to give religious approval for last rites and all similar functions to be done by girls.
Increase urbanization – In an urban environment, the difference between sexes is minimal.
Improve law and order – the less physical force matters in society, the more women’s situation will improve.
Put the fear of the future – Plainly publicise how present communities are handling lack of women. Put the fear of the future in all those who are having male children that they will NOT GET BRIDES FOR THEIR SONS.
DO NOT DESPAIR SOMETIMES THIS IS HINDU BAITING BY ENGLISH MEDIA
Add to child mortality, all the girls killed by khap diktats and “honor” killings…as if any such killing can bring “honor.”
“Remember that human beings are programmed by nature to produce slightly more girl children than boys. That means that there are tens of millions of girls being aborted/killed”
Mr.Sabhlok, See the stat in your ‘land ‘
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Australia#Sex_ratio)
How many millions of girls are being aborted/ killed in ‘OozeLand’??
Here is something to ponder over : when such a nice person as Sabhlok does not have the balls to own up to his mistake, how much sense does it make to blame politicians, people etc.? The difference is at most in degree, not in kind.
Only 14, Bangladeshi girl charged with adultery was lashed to death
This *could* be one more reason why girl child may not be preferred. Differential treatment by society.
Also,
Inheritance of immovable property after death of parents is by law to be equal between sons and daughters. Reality of course is far removed from law.
Add to this the complication of fragmentation of land holdings. Unless by a ecological miracle, all land-owners beget only one offspring it is unlikely that inheritance will become a smooth process.
While reverse dowry may be one repurcussion, there will be more perverse outcomes of falling sex ratio all of which will take various forms of exploitation of women.
An unhealthy society is not good for women or men, but it will act as an additional spur to kill the girl child while boys may yet be welcome.
The title about the issue makes me think twice before i proceed……..its the fact that girls ratio is going down…its the fact that in our great country women are not equally treated….its the fact they are physically not strong as men……………but it is also fact that women are emotionally much more stronger than men….then is it right to say that they are depressed ???and if yes then it is our own social system which makes them to think so ………..
how many of us allows their daughters to hung out with her friends after 7 pm ? awareness can do miracle……..its now our turn to break safe cage around the girl to make her strong…..and not depressed…. while talking about the decreasing sex ratio…we have to look after the govt. initiatives…like prohibiting sonography….janani surksha yojana etc.. if we have such schemes then why the no. of abortion is increasing ??? answer is well-known….
i just wanted to say that she may be depressed…but we can make her happy…practically not to her but for those all girls
who are coming as next generation…..we should not look at her as depressed bt as a who deserve respect and security trully………there is no need of syampathy….but willingness to change the situation by positive way……..
even this thing is a girl child no? 🙂
http://www.wahsarkar.com/?p=37
@ Puja,
“How many of us allows their daughters to hung out with her friends after 7 pm ? awareness can do miracle……..its now our turn to break safe cage around the girl to make her strong…..and not depressed….”
I don’t see the co-relation between strong girls/women and girls hanging out after 7:00? India is not a safe country, so it is just prudent not to be alone in unsafe places and flirt with danger.
This, I speak as daughter and a mother of 2 girls. Girls should be encouraged to study well, and get jobs or become entrepreneurs, that is empowering women. Financial independence gives women self confidence and they are not seen as a burden.
*** COMMENT EDITED ***
…
Similarly the P.C-P.N.D.T act is very clear on the fact that if records are not being maintained properly it amounts to sex determination and the case has to be filed in the court of law. The burden is upon the doctor conducting the ultrasound to prove that he has not conducted sex determination. Various clinics in have been found not keeping records properly and no court cases have been filed against them.
When the accused under the act know that there will be no action against them, and the government is there to save them, then they will continue the illegal activities.
National Support and Monitoring Cell gave a five month (15th May -14th October 06) activity report in October 2006 after analyzing the implementation of the act in various states. They found that in Delhi there was no list of the 81 complaints/ prosecutions supposedly launched by the State Authorities. Court cases were supposedly launched only against 3 out of 35 unregistered establishments found during raids. There were no details available against the status of the cases in these 3 court cases also.
(source- Five Month Activity Report Of National Support And Monitoring Cell from 15th May -14th October 06 (mohfw.nic.in/…/NSMC/NSMC%20Activity%20Report_May-Oct%2006.pdf)
I am a complainant under the P.N.D.T act as my husband and in-laws wanted me to abort my twin daughters after a sex determination test done fraudulently on me. I filed many complaints with NCW, DCW, health minister, C.D.M.O, etc and in fact… met the chairperson NCW personally too to help me . Till date I have not received any help from them. Not once they have tried to raise the issue.
…
It was established very early in the case that the necessary records were not maintained in my case. It was also established very early in the case that the gynecologist had asked for only a ultrasound of only my Kidneys Ureter and bladder, but the radiologist had done a full fetal scan. But rather than taking action against the accused, every government official has tried to persuade me from withdrawing my complaints against the doctor, hospital, and my husband and in-laws. In-fact one government official asked me to give my husband a son if that’s what he desires and not to spoil my life by filling a complaint under the P.N.D.T act. Since past 3 years I have been fighting alone to save my daughters and the fight is not only against my husband and in laws but also against these very officials who in front of media talk big, but otherwise harass any woman who dares to speak out.
..
It has been established that I am the first woman in this country to file a case against my husband and in laws under the P.N.D.T act. The amount of pressures being put on me, many threats, delays meant to discourage me, attempts to harm my daughters, everything makes me think am i fighting this system which in front of media speaks so loudly that they want to save daughters , and behind the curtains force any woman who dares to speak out to withdraw.
I am carrying on the fight till I can. I am continuing the fight till I have the last bit of strength in me, but please note, in case I withdraw the reason will be only one- NO ONE CAME FORWARD TO HELP ME. THE VERY PEOPLE WHO ARE SHOWING THEIR CONCERN FOR THE DECLINING SEX RATIOS ASKED ME TO WITHDRAW MY CASES AND SIT PEACEFULLY AT HOME. It is a very difficult fight for an alone woman- to fight the whole system. I tried for three years, and none of the so saying politicians, authorities or systems supposed to protect women have come to my aid. Rather they all stood up against me, with the accused.
If I am fighting this case it is not because I gain anything out of this. I am fighting this only and only because I do not want my daughters to go through what ever I went through during my pregnancy.
I Have put my entire life at stake to fight this case. I am not going to get a single penny from this case , only the satisfaction that perhaps I really did make a differance, that perhaps I am not like many of those in power, who just speak when the census comes out and otherwise do not care a hell.
If I withdraw my complaints under all the pressures, it will not be my loss, but the loss of this system…. who could not give me justice.
It will be the defeat of this nation who just did not care ….
Please visit http://www.mitukhurana.wordpress.com.
Dr Mitu Khurana
Matrubhoomi- A nation without women
Indian film that was released in 2005. Directed by Manish Jha, this film examines the impact of female foeticide and female infanticide on the gender balance, and consequently the stability and attitudes of society. Its storyline bears some resemblance to real-life instances of gender imbalance and economics resulting in fraternal polyandry and bride buying in some parts of India.
The film begins in a rural setting, with the delivery of a baby girl to a village couple. Her disappointed father, who was hoping for a boy, drowns her in vat of milk in a public ceremony. Many years later, this unchecked trend leads to the village being populated solely by males. The now uncouth and aggressive young men of the village are desperate for wives, and release their frustration through group screenings of imported pornographic films, cross-dressed dance performances, and even bestiality. They are shown to be willing to go to the lengths of human trafficking in order to procure spouses for themselves.
The father of five boys finds out about a single young woman, named Kalki, living some distance from the village, and literally buys her from her father. She is then married to all five sons. Each night of the week, she is forced to sleep with one of the sons, and even the father gets his weekly night with her. Of all the men in the boorish lot, only the youngest son treats her with respect and tenderness.
When the youngest son is killed by his jealous brothers, and an escape attempt with a sympathetic domestic servant goes lethally awry, she becomes a pawn of revenge in an inter-community conflict, and an unwilling object of sexual release for even more men. She is chained to a post in the cow shed and raped mercilessly night after night. The film ends on a violent but hopeful note, as she bears a baby girl while the men of the village kill each other off over rights to her and her child.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrubhoomi
Please Join us in this fight against female foeticide if this is not the future we envision for our coming generations.
Please give your suggestions as to what WE can do to stop this menace – as each one of us… Individually and collectively. Please do not tell what should be- we all know what should be .
this is a brainstorming session- AS TO WHAT EACH ONE OF US WOULD LIKE TO DO AND WOULD DO- TO STOP THIS HEINOUS CRIME.Please write your suggestions to against.female.foeticide@gmail.com. and mention Matrubhoomi in subject line. Also do tell if you would like to volunteer to be a part of the change ….
LETS JOIN HANDS TO CHANGE HER-STORY.
Please forward this to all your friends, and spread the word.
SUPPORT A MOTHER FIGHTING AGAINST FEMALE FOETICIDE.
These Petitions have been started by friends in America after seeing the ABC 20-20 program on Gendercide in India. Please Sign and forward this petition to all your friends. Help us spread the word by posting on blogs and on facebook etc.
Thanks
http://gendercide.epetitions.net/
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/a-mothers-fight-to-save-her-daughters/
Pls read Read this paper – http://econ.nyu.edu/user/debraj/Papers/AndersonRay.pdf
Read the name of the ‘person’ who coined the term ‘Missing women’.
Conclusion looks similar to Prassoon’s findings..(http://prassoon.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/female-feticide-%E2%80%93-a-mysterious-propaganda/)
Also Read http://prassoon.wordpress.com/2011/06/14/is-boy-preference-a-brain-product-of-cfr/
“What surprised me this morning is, the news that came out in Financial Times titled “Unnatural Selection“. I thought how come picking shares or options would go against the nature? How come finance goes unnatural? Apparently, the article is talking about “Boy Preference†in some Asian countries! Holy Cow! What could be the interest of Financial Times to report about Family issues? Are they running out of business news or are they reporting new opportunities for business? My curiosity vanished when I came to know about the author/reviewer. Yes, it is a CFR guy! (I’ve mentioned about what CFR is up to in one of my previous article.)
I think first we have to change the mindset of masses “Male dominating Society”. Then we don’t need to think over all other issues related to girl’s side as they will get solved automatically. As in our society this thinking is so deeply rooted that male part has all rights to take decisions. Most women and families as well suffers just because of society. so many times it is seen that a girl’s family has to bend because of social pressure and this is the reason that if a woman want to raise her voice either she is made to keep quite or can’t go against society even though when she may be right..
The show is a brilliant step towards throwing light on perils that have been plaguing our nation. Female foeticide, the foremost among them can only be abolished by adopting an active, beyond-conventional mindset by everyone – parents and doctors alike.
It all boils down to thinking, if you want a mother, a wife, a girlfriend and a sister, let your daughter live and grow up to be one too!
A brief excerpt from The answer is politics by Pragmatic (emphasis added):
Columnist and novelist Sidin Vadukut posted this query on Twitter earlier today:
…
But that is not the real question here. The real question is how does India overcome a problem like female infanticide.
…
The immediate way to solve the problem is to enact a law against female infanticide and prosecute anyone who violates the law. Because all politicians are interested in immediate answers, this has been done in India too. But India’s policing and judicial system is nearly broken and the law is followed more in its violation than in its compliance.
Fixing India’s police and justice system should then be the starting point of any plans to immediately solve the problem of female infanticide. But police and judicial reform will need a lot of time to be effective.
This is the paradox of instant gratification in public policy where you need time to achieve the immediate. In other words, there are no immediate answers to the problem today unless we can first enforce the rule of law in this country.
…
The intermediate solution is to produce a new generation which is educated to imbibe these modern values and understand the heinous nature of the act. In a country where functional literacy is hard to achieve, how do you focus on quality education. Unless we are able to educate a new generation out of regressive ideas, we will struggle to effect any worthwhile change in the next two decades.
But forcing people to act solely out of the fear of law or educating them out of regressive ideas is not enough. For a long-term solution, you need social change.
…
There are no magic pills for any complex problem and female infanticide is no different.
We need rule of law, education and social reform to eradicate the problem in the next 50-60 years.
These three actions — the immediate, the intermediate and the eventual — are not as disparate as they seem.
They are connected by one simple thing — politics. For the leaders, it has to be about political action. For the people, it has to be about political engagement.
…
Many of you looking for instantaneous solutions must be terribly disappointed after reading this. Can’t we do something which fixes everything in India in one week or one month or six months — an anti-defection law which fixes political depravity or a Lokpal which ends corruption? Let me ask you a question instead. Have you ever dreamt of running a marathon next week or next month, after having lived a slothful life for thirty years? No, of course not. Because it needs practice, time and passion to run 26.2 miles which those who don’t run will find futile and boring.
Politics is no different. It also needs time, commitment, hard work and passion from each one of us. And the ability to stick to doing what others believe to be boring and futile. Results will take time. But there are no easy alternatives. In fact, there are no alternatives.
***
And some comments from the blog:
Satish: The state with the highest literacy rate is Kerala & it is the only big state with a positive sex ratio.(1034).The solution is right in front of us.So blind we are, oblivious to the answers around .
**
Phoenix: Partly disagree that ‘The Answer is Politics’. What is the cause? It is mostly economic. It is the cost of raising a female in India that discourages parents from raising girls. Make education free for women up to the end of 12th, for starters. Second – give greater welfare benefits to families who have a daughter. More rice rations, priority on some NREGA list or something (I am, in general against welfare, but you’re asking for immediate solutions – therefore I am talking in terms of the existing state). Make it easier for parents of daughters to get agricultural loans, or discounts on tractors, blah blah blah.
All of a sudden, you’re going to have a glut of women.
**
RK Dhanwada: You got it right that Judicial delivery with independent investigation agency is the urgent answer to many social ills like female infanticide .
Just to give some hope of the winds of change happening is the initiative of Prof Trilochan Shastry of IIM B.. Read each para and the attachment also http://bit.ly/IJHAw0
That is the true way of political correction can be done when the people are empowered ..
समसà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤ƒ मूलं राजनीति:
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जैसे कनà¥à¤¯à¤¾ à¤à¥à¤°à¥‚ण हà¥à¤¤à¥à¤¯à¤¾ के विषय को ही लें..
इसका समाधान जटिल है..और इसकी तह में राजनीति है..
à¤à¤• à¤à¤¸à¥€ राज-नीति जो नà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¯ पà¥à¤°à¤•à¥à¤°à¤¿à¤¯à¤¾ में सà¥à¤§à¤¾à¤° ला सके, शिकà¥à¤·à¤¾ पà¥à¤°à¤£à¤¾à¤²à¥€ में मूलà¥à¤¯à¥‹à¤‚ का पà¥à¤¨à¤°à¥à¤¸à¥à¤¥à¤¾à¤ªà¤¨ कर सके – व समाज में कनà¥à¤¯à¤¾-रूपी देवी को à¤à¤• समà¥à¤®à¤¾à¤¨-पूरà¥à¤µà¤• जीवन व आदर पà¥à¤°à¤¦à¤¾à¤¨ कर सके..
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अंत में सारी सनासà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤“ं के जड़ में राज-नीति है..राज-नीति, नà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¯ वà¥à¤¯à¤µà¤¸à¥à¤¥à¤¾ व पà¥à¤°à¤¶à¤¾à¤¸à¤¨à¤¿à¤• तंतà¥à¤°…
यही कारण है कि यह बà¥à¤²à¥‰à¤— – व मेरे सारे पà¥à¤°à¤¯à¤¾à¤¸ राजनैतिक परिवरà¥à¤¤à¤¨, चà¥à¤¨à¤¾à¤µà¥€ पà¥à¤°à¤•à¥à¤°à¤¿à¤¯à¤¾ में सà¥à¤§à¤¾à¤°, सामूल वà¥à¤¯à¤µà¤¸à¥à¤¥à¤¾ परिवरà¥à¤¤à¤¨ व राजनैतिक मà¥à¤¦à¥à¤¦à¥‹à¤‚ पर केंदà¥à¤°à¤¿à¤¤ रहते हैं..
आज राज-नीति में नीति का अà¤à¤¾à¤µ है…राषà¥à¤Ÿà¥à¤°-हित व समाज-सेवा जैसे शबà¥à¤¦ जैसे कि खो से गà¤à¤ हैं |
राजनीति में परà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¯ का अà¤à¤¾à¤µ है – यह परिसà¥à¤¥à¤¿à¤¤à¤¿ जब तक नहीं बदलेगी दूरगामी सà¥à¤§à¤¾à¤° असंà¤à¤µ हैं..
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इस पर चरà¥à¤šà¤¾ करें – और à¤à¤• नई पà¥à¤°à¤•à¤¾à¤° कि राज-नीति..व राज-नेताओं का समरà¥à¤¥à¤¨ करें..
विजय निशà¥à¤šà¤¿à¤¤ है..
जय हिंद, जय à¤à¤¾à¤°à¤¤ ! शांतनà¥
***
Inspired by “The answer is politics” http://j.mp/IXMGUH