By
Randeep Wadehra
India is a land of contradictions
in every sense of the term. One of its more odious contradictions is the status
of its female population. Scriptures enjoin upon the society to worship women
and girls as deities. Among the pantheon, goddesses like Durga, Saraswati,
Lakshmi et al are the most prominent of countless Devis. There is also a
tradition of worshipping the girl-child during the Navratras. Therefore, when
precepts and traditions hold women in such high esteem then India must be a
haven for them. Alas! The reality is to the contrary. In fact, the female
population in India is being subjected to a wide range of violence, both random
and systematic.
Even before a girl is born, she
faces a real threat to her existence. When, despite the existence of such laws
as the Pre- conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex
Selection) Act (1994) female feticide remained unabated a more stringent
Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act was
passed in 2002, but things have only worsened for her. According to the British
medical journal the Lancet an estimated half a million female fetuses are
aborted in India every year, which bodes ill for the society’s health even in
the near future. In fact what was predicted for China – where the government
enforced one-child norm has led to
female feticide on a massive scale, resulting in a huge imbalance in the
male-female ratio – is now coming true of today’s Indian society. Abductions
and rapes are on the increase as is trafficking in women.
Although conditions are uniformly
horrendous for females in India, let us look at just one state that, in several
ways, is the archetype of the excesses of patriarchal social system that exists
in the subcontinent. In Haryana there are certain rituals associated either
with the birth of a male child or his exclusive status in the family and
society as adult. For example on his birth there is a ceremony called kuan
pooja. Again, on the sixth day after a male child’s birth there are
celebrations including community feasting. Although the scale of such
celebrations supposedly depends on the householder’s economic status, the
expenses invariably exceed his means. However, he seldom complains as the birth
of a son is considered akin to winning a lottery! Similarly, on the eve of his
marriage he performs the ghurchadi ritual when he rides a horse/mare and
goes around the village. Moreover, in case of a death in the family, he alone
has the right to perform last rites. A girl child does not figure in any of
these rituals. Firstly, her birth itself is not considered auspicious – a
contradiction really since all our deities who bestow auspiciousness like
wealth (Lakshmi), knowledge and wisdom (Saraswati), courage and strength
(Durga) etc are females.
For ages, women in Haryana have
been at the receiving end of discrimination at the hands of the patriarchal
society. Until recently, the purdah system was strictly observed in
Haryana. Women were supposed to confine themselves to the kitchen and household
chores. Presently, the scourge of dowry has reached such inhumane levels that
parents look upon daughters as an economic burden. Although there is the karewa
system in Haryana, still a widow or a divorcee becomes lifelong burden on her
parental family. As a corollary, a woman giving birth to daughters and failing
to deliver a son is stigmatized. The prevailing religious belief that only
birth of sons ensures moksha for a family is so strong that it blocks
the woman’s path to emancipation. Moreover, thanks to the intensely commercial
social practices a daughter “takes away” the family’s wealth while a son
enables retention of wealth within the family, indicating to the harsh fact
that giving birth to sons is a more lucrative proposition as they fetch dowry
too.
Various research findings indicate
a symbiosis of sorts between poverty and the girl-child’s poor status. Most
girls from poor families are married off even before they attain puberty – a
familiar phenomenon, especially in Rajasthan, Haryana, UP and Bihar. This
results in early motherhood, thus depriving them of such basic rights as
health, education etc. Naturally, their right to aspire for a better life
through self-development is subverted. Researchers tell us that girls between
13 to 18 years of age have a low percentage of iron, rendering them anemic and
vulnerable to other health related problems. You really don’t have to study such
research statistic for understanding the problem’s enormity. Just an empathetic
observation around you will show how malnourished an average Indian girl is.
Being underfed and largely neglected, she suffers from poor growth. In fact,
experts tell us that this causes development of narrow pelvis among adolescent
girls. For such girls, child bearing is akin to signing their own death
warrants.
Obviously, mere
platitudes – even legislating tough laws – will not improve the girl child’s
condition. A concerted multipronged effort is required for the purpose. First
of all, the lawmakers, law keepers and law enforcers must facilitate effective
implementation of existing laws meant not only for protecting her life but also
those that aim at improving her economic status – be it in terms of her share
in her parents’ as well as spouse’s property or her undisputed right to manage
the streedhan. Of course, crimes against women ought to be fought at war
footing. Simultaneously, there is a need to resurrect ethical practices in the
medical profession that is being increasingly besmirched thanks to the
mercenary and foul deeds of those belonging to this profession. Right from school
onwards the social implications of female feticide must be drummed into the
psyche of the country’s future citizens. There is a need to make them realize
how the decreasing number of females will result in greater violence and crime
in the society. There are grave economic implications too, in terms of loss of
human lives that could have made meaningful contributions to the country’s
development in different fields. Let us not forget that women in India have
already proven their potential, as well as worth, by playing a variety of
socio-economic roles in various professions. Moreover, they play a vital role
in decision making that affects the fortunes of an entire family.
Nevertheless,
there won’t be any family in the absence of women. Just think!
Published in The Financial Word dated 5 April 2013
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