E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
For years, photojournalist Walter Astrada has photographed the issue of violence against women in countries around the world. His latest story focuses on gender selection in India. In partnership with the Alexia Foundation and MediaStorm, he tells this story:
India is a diverse country, separated by class and ethnicity. But all women confront the cultural pressure to bear a son. This preference cuts through every social divide, from geography to economy. No woman is exempt.
This preference originates from the belief that men make money while women, because of their expensive dowry costs, are a financial burden. As a result, there is a near constant disregard for the lives of women and girls. From birth until old age, women face a constant threat of violence and too frequently, death.
Watch the compelling video, below.
Leave a Comment:
This is sad. I'm not sure I agree with no woman being exempt. Maybe it's being American and my religious circle, but women are equally or even more highly valued - because men sacrifice their selfishness for women and become their best selves. I've had to open my eyes and study this out to consider women being demeaned. There is and will be a huge price to pay for such tyrannical beliefs and behaviors.
It's so narrow-minded to think one sex is undesired, like this world could go on with out one or another. There can be no true happiness without teaming up and building each other up so the best in both can surface for each other.
Sad how cultures become twisted by might. Now America's entertainment is Trump, Survival and Bachelor. To what good end will such shows take us?
People,
If you really want to help them, there is a quick, simple, easy way. Log on to www.worldvision.org, put in the search parameter that you wish to help a girl from India. Sponsor her, write to her, encourage her.
There, you just did your part.
I am heart broken. I wish I could adopt the mothers and their daughters.
Weird, in some cultures the men pay "bride price" to the woman's family. I wonder if the practice of dowry or bride price correlates to treatment of women?
While this is horrible, this is also a reminder that not everything in America is as evil as we like to paint ourselves. We are backwards in some of our ways too, I'm not saying otherwise, but we also don't have problems like this on nearly as grand of a scale.
Too often I hear about how unsophisticated the United States is, how brutal we are, how uneducated, racist, bias, stupid, ect. You name it, we Americans have been called it and labled. Some of it is deserved some of the time. But when compared to how crazy large portions of the world really are, when compared to the crisis situations in many countries (this story, acid attacks, mass riots, mass government enforced starvation, ect), it suddenly makes me remember that it could be far far worse.
My heart goes out to them. Come to America. We are far from perfect, but we love women here.
But so many people here in America are not in the business of welcoming your "abused, tortured and victimized". To be frank, there wouldn't be a welcome...
Just what I was thinking winsettz...In this climate, "give us your tired, your poor, your hungry, yearning to be free" has unfortunately become a painful reminder of the country we at least used to strive to be.
AP-1414066
Just what I was thinking winsettz...In this climate, "give us your tired, your poor, your hungry, yearning to be free" has unfortunately become a painful reminder of the country we at least used to strive to be.
its now give us your arab, your wanton, yearning to open a corner conveniance store and ship us dollars to thier homeland all the us taxpayes expense
They will be sorry when there are no women to bear those desired sons...
Amen
wrong. the women will be forced to bear sons for her husband and his brothers.
wrong. the women will be forced to bear sons for her husband and his brothers.
The fact that in China male babies are desired, female babies are aborted. China limits the number of children one can have. China now has a shortage of females. We now are told that in parts of India, females infants are abandoned or killed. Which culture is superior, the West or these backward Asian cultures? Every relativist who is reading this piece is responsible for this horrible situation.
In China female babies are not aborted, how would they know which sex they are bearing? The parents cannot have a scan to determine a fetus's sex. What has happened, and less today the female is or was adopted out (one of the best adoption procedures in the world) now today the waiting list can be years as slowly the families are changing their minds. Also the government has made education incentives for girls in the rural areas.
China has had a one child policy for over 30 years, because they realized in the future they would not have the means to feed their growing population. Other countries haven’t grasped “how are they going to feed their people” religion plays into this. This policy did not apply to any minority groups (56 in total) which only represent a small percentage of the overall population.
India has no laws against scanning for sex of the fetus in fact in most villages this is available. They also have very little family planning for the poor. So they keep on having large families that they cannot afford, religion plays into this. India faces a huge population problem and they will most certainly overtake china.
China has also realized the error of valuing male children over female children when the male children, who survived instead of being left at an orphanage or had a convenient death like the female children, came of age and had no women to marry. In recent years female children have been seen as a need there as well.
Can America help rejecting nuclear fuel to India and put pressure on India to do something about it?
Sunny, what an odd thing to say. I'd say help India to make energy cheap and accessible. Cheap energy, a rapidly growing economy and female emancipation are very closely linked. When more and more girls/women begin to participate in the economy, more decision power will move to their hands.
Those guys like the pussy between their legs, but nothing else? Just a macho power play that becomes cultural norm. Why do you treat the beings that give birth to you, your children and, well, every other human being on this planet for all time, so badly?
What's made worse is that the women who survive the Russian roulette of abortion /actively take part in this/. They're totally on board with it as long as they "made the gauntlet". Of course, when they become those beggars at pilgrim temples they'll wish they weren't so oppressed...but by then, too late to change your mind!
Just another example of a primitive and ignorant country. This is the same country that let a handful of terrorists kill over 160 people in 2008 as the police force simple turned their backs on the situation.
Fenix you are so right, and I am so sick of hearing about how backwards we are, those that think so need to go overseas, and you do not need to go far, Europe will give you a rude awakening.
It's great to have a anti-abortion article on MSNBC. Babies shouldn't be terminated for any reason just like the author of this piece believes.
i agree who is going to bear your sons if they are no females .. better think before you hurt a baby or female for she is the one who bear your son so that in it self should give her value
Pat: I belive that I am a relativist, but I am not in any way responsible for the actions of this ignorant, intolerant, backward, third world country.
This is occurring in a country which we are constantly told is producing the "best and brightest" workers; they want these people and their culture imported into the US. Do we really want to have this mentality spreading in the US? It will as the practice of arranged marriage and dowry is common among these guest workers and immigrants. Arranged marriage and the dowry is no better than selling a daughter into slavery. If this marriage practice is accepted, so will the other actions that arise from it.
Cee: We already are on the cusp of it. We have had Muslim Honor killings, one girl from Columbus, Ohio ran away fearing her father would kill her for becoming Christian. My Aunt in Australia sent me an article from the Brisbane Courier Mail telling of a Pakistani/Australian girl, aged 14, who was being shipped back to be a bride & then bring HIS family back with her. Luckily, Social Services got wind of it & stopped her before she left.
Read the inscription Emma Lazarus wrote on the Statue of Liberty.................wretched refuse, tempest tossed. We MUST keep our promise to ALL our immigrants & our laws MUST be obeyed. ALL OF THEM!
While not denying that this practice takes place, you have to understand that we are an amazingly large and diverse set of people. To think that this happens everywhere in India is erroneous. On the other hand to wish this issue away would also be wrong.Remember we are a 1.2 billion strong population and even if a fraction does condone such activities, it amounts to a huge absolute number. What i ask is that done paint all of us Indians with the same brush and respect the fact that we have a whole different set of issues to deal with and we are making progress in dealing with them.
Don't forget the caste system.
Facts of life.The Indian society being corrupt based on gender,caste etc.morality for them is not an issue.The facilities to abort a babygirl with latest technology is easily available for the 'upper class' and mostly when known the gender of the baby-with no guilt girls are aborted..The officials and the society look the other way.Boys are considered by them as a means of 'income - dowry' and the lower class including the 'untouchables'sell whatever they have including borrow from the 'indian mafia loan shark' to get the girl married proving the dowry to the boy's parents.Other demands - lot of gold ornaments ,luxury car,apartment in the city etc. - this way they will be able to hide from the authorities with the quesion of payment of 'dowry'.Tragedy - but this is how the system works like in the 19th century.Only the young and educated can change this..Hope for the best.
Congratulations to Walter Astrada.. HOPE..
well maybe these babies can be adopted in U.S. as there r many couples who love to have them and adopt .. I hope this is a way of helping them exscape the horror and torrture of that country
The fact that this is an ancient cultural practice does not condone it. It only means that it will take a very long time to eradicate it from the culture for the truly barbaric practice that it is. India is far from the only country that has stringent beliefs about male superiority. Witness the hapless Iranian woman in the news lately who almost got stoned to death but was spared due to public outcry. Let's not forget that American, and most women in western countries, are quite "liberated" and "equal" with men, but look at how far we still have to go. Are we paid equally for the same jobs? In many places, very thick glass ceilings still prevail in workplaces. It is true that the US and Europe have made enormous strides, but look how long it's taken. India's culture is greater than 5000 yrs old, so getting over gender bias is going to take probably at least a few hundred years.
Ok so I'm really ready to adopt now.
Careful...in this country, if you're not Indian yourself, people will stop you constantly and question why you didn't adopt a child from America first. You'd think anyone would favor any adoption of an unwanted child, but many Americans unfortunately don't see it that way.
I don't believe people with chastise you for not adopting in America first! I have several friends who have adopted from China and have never heard a word about it from anyone. Children are children, wherever they're from, and they all need love. I think many people go out of the country to adopt because they fear the birth parents involvement somewhere down the road. People should be free to adopt where and when they want - and GOD bless them for being so selfless!!!
Years ago I saw a story on this very topic, how parents were aborting baby girls. I told my husband then this practice would come back to haunt this country many years later. Too many males, not enough females.
This saddens me, the men leave or harm their wives because the wives don't produce boys. They should be educated that it is the men themselves that actually determine the sex of the baby at the time of conception.
So they harm their wife or leave her and move onto the next woman to still produce girls? This is a never ending sad cycle!
Ignorance is bliss widespread lack of education for the poor is widspread especially for girls.
Watch out, it's comming to America. This week on the news they had a report where more and more Americans are going to the doctor, having eggs and sperm harvested, fertilized, grown until the sex is determined, selecting which sex is desired, and then haveing it re-implanted in the womb. Is this all that different?
I originally put this comment in the wrong place. :-)
That is awful. If a person cannot accept a child that is given to them by chance or by God, then maybe they don't deserve the child. What do you do with the child who isn't what you want? Just let them die? Sometimes there is a big issue with the technology we have. Some things shouldn't be tampered with.
if a person cannot accept a child that is given to them by chance or by God
What and absurd comment: it is called conception nothing to do with god. Go to the library and learn about your body and how it functions.
A woman should never walk behind a man, if she can't walk along side, she should walk away! This world's idea of women being less than a man is prehistoric and has no place in society, religion or anything else!
That's awful. While I hear their reasoning for this, it's just not right. You're killing and abandoning innocent children, and seriously guys...someday, you will find that you have a society of all men. Then what will they do? You will realize all too late that you really do need women. You cannot birth children, the sons you so cherish, without women. What then? I don't get it...
Exactly! And what the world needs is more women, not men! We are the nurturers, the care givers, the one's who bear the next generations. WOMEN need to rule the world - maybe we'd have less war, less unwanted children, less hate! :)
1st, this is a horrible practice and should stop. 2nd, this practice started because when parents get old, they live with son and not daughter. In a country where there is no social security, healthcare, welfare or any government programs whatsoever, is it selfish for the parents to desire a son to take care of them in old age? It is darwinism until a government security blanket is in place.
Could someone from India explain to me how you get baby boys without girls? Goodness.
Not a single person has reminded these men, that if they are producing girls it isnt the Mothers fault, it is the Male contribution that determinest he sex of the child. So if a man cant make a baby boy, it is his own fault. Since there is technology and education enough to have ultrasounds how is it that the above piece of common knowledge is not known. STOP BLAMING THE WOMEN THE MAN DETRMINES THE SEX OF A CHILD.
I hope that women in India realize their worth and stand up for their daughters, sisters, mothers and grandmothers. I know in my own culture the women are very strong willed and strong of heart and even if by demand treated with respect and love. Something needs to be done, people neeed to travel to india and infuse their culture with education and get those women some self esteem.
Also, can someone please tell me where is NOW on this issue? Still boycotting KFC? Such important work!
Before you blame an American organization still working for women's equality in the US at a time when "feminist" has become a pejorative, you might consider that NOW does not have and has never had an international staff, focus or budget. There are any number of organizations much less known however who work on these very issues (quietly in the Bush years especially, since any organization that also offered any sort of birth control internationally was very much on the 'hit list'.)