Flip-side of India's burgeoning economy - female infanticide

India Has Killed 10 Million Girls in 20 Years

Girls Are Considered a Burden in Sections of Indian Society


Ten million girls have been killed by their parents in India in the past 20 years, either before they were born or immediately after, a government minister said on Thursday, describing it as a "national
crisis".

A UNICEF report released this week said 7,000 fewer girls are born in the country every day than the global average would suggest, largely because female foetuses are aborted after sex determination tests but also through murder of new borns.

"It's shocking figures and we are in a national crisis if you ask me," Minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury told Reuters. Girls are seen as liabilities by many Indians, especially because of the banned but rampant practice of dowry, where the bride's parents pay cash and goods to the groom's family.

Men are also seen as bread-winners while social prejudices deny women opportunities for education and jobs.

The minute the child is born and she opens her mouth to cry, they put sand into her mouth and her nostrils so she chokes and dies," Chowdhury said, referring to cases in the western desert state of Rajasthan.

"They bury infants into pots alive and bury the pots. They put tobacco into her mouth. They hang them upside down like a bunch of flowers to dry," she said.

from: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2728976&page=1


Last week's BBC2 This World 7pm programme "Missing Girls" (of India), featured one woman who is taking her, business-man, husband, and in-laws to court, as a result of her being forced to abort female foetuses. The woman said it was not as if her husband could not afford girls or their future dowries. Another segment involved a little girl who had been found, after an attempted live burial.

"We have more passion for tigers of this country. We have people fighting for stray dogs on the road. But you have a whole society that ruthlessly hunts down girl children."

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2728976&page=1

It has nothing to do with the economy, more due to historical role of women in the society. If anything the percentage of women in the work force is increasing by the day due to the economy and two income households are very common these days. As this spreads more the rural areas which is where most of this mind set prevails this issue will get better.

Josh Carney wrote:It has nothing to do with the economy, more due to historical role of women in the society. If anything the percentage of women in the work force is increasing by the day due to the economy and two income households are very common these days. As this spreads more the rural areas which is where most of this mind set prevails this issue will get better.

Not according to the women interviewed in the BBC2 programme last week. And while the "mindset" spreads many infant females are being buried alive in India as I write and you read this.

What should we all do,　fluffy？I'm prepared to act on your advice in this matter . . . to whom should we protest?

tac wrote:What should we all do,　fluffy？I'm prepared to act on your advice in this matter . . . to whom should we protest?

Can't think / act on your own instinct?

Well, what are you doing about it? I will copy you.

tac wrote:Well, what are you doing about it? I will copy you.

Whilst imitation is flattery, not by you.

But won't it help if I go around posting about it on cricket forums?

tac wrote:But won't it help if I go around posting about it on cricket forums?

Stalking me across forums, tac, got nothing better to do?

And why ask, if you feel that that is a way to a stopping this modern heinour crime?

The more that are aware of this, the more people can do something, unlike you obsessing over filosofee, as usual, and attempting to bring another thread down to a tac-initiated bitch fest.

Infanticide - one of Nirvana's better albums.

filosofee wrote:

tac wrote:But won't it help if I go around posting about it on cricket forums?

Stalking me across forums, tac, got nothing better to do?

And why ask, if you feel that that is a way to a stopping this modern heinour crime?

The more that are aware of this, the more people can do something, unlike you obsessing over filosofee, as usual, and attempting to bring another thread down to a tac-initiated bitch fest.

Where have I bitched? I asked you quite simply for the best way to protest this. It is a heinous crime against humanity.

You, however, cannot put aside your pettiness in order to advise on the best action to take. Very sad.

Really? India killed those girls? Wow. Government sponsored killing a la the communists. Bad.

HH_pink wrote:Really? India killed those girls? Wow. Government sponsored killing a la the communists. Bad.

Not as dramatic if portrayed otherwise is it ?

Josh Carney wrote:It has nothing to do with the economy, more due to historical role of women in the society. If anything the percentage of women in the work force is increasing by the day due to the economy and two income households are very common these days. As this spreads more the rural areas which is where most of this mind set prevails this issue will get better.

Actually urban areas are as bad, if not worse, when it comes to these things. Specially the northern states, they have a pathetic record.

"We have more passion for tigers of this country. We have people fighting for stray dogs on the road. But you have a whole society that ruthlessly hunts down girl children."

Now that is absolute bull-shit.

filosofee wrote:
Girls Are Considered a Burden in Sections ..

In certain sections they have their heads firmly embedded in their rectal cavity.

Josh Carney wrote:It has nothing to do with the economy, more due to historical role of women in the society. If anything the percentage of women in the work force is increasing by the day due to the economy and two income households are very common these days. As this spreads more the rural areas which is where most of this mind set prevails this issue will get better.

You idiot ... can't you see she's baiting. Why the crock are you getting all defensive about ?

doremi wrote:

Josh Carney wrote:It has nothing to do with the economy, more due to historical role of women in the society. If anything the percentage of women in the work force is increasing by the day due to the economy and two income households are very common these days. As this spreads more the rural areas which is where most of this mind set prevails this issue will get better.

Actually urban areas are as bad, if not worse, when it comes to these things. Specially the northern states, they have a pathetic record.

In twenty years' time these idiots wonder why there aren't brides around for their sons...

its already happening. grooms from northern states, esp the richer ones like punjab and haryana, are now having to go to places like kerala to find brides. or much like the ramayana some brothers have to end up sharing brides

sex-detection tests on an unborn baby are therefore banned in india. but like anything else there is a thriving underground market

What is the record like in Pakistan?

There was a good movie called Matrubhoomi made on the subject.

Perhaps they should switch to the African system of lobola, where the bridegroom pays the equivalent of a dowry to his father-in-law.

Well, this isn't very pleasant reading.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Well, this isn't very pleasant reading.

I'd worry if someone did find it pleasant reading...