Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 AHMEDABAD, INDIA, November 15, 2003: On his 31st birthday, Mitesh Patel of Rajkot, Gujarat, found his ageing father was worried because he had not found a suitable bride for his son. The old man was left with no alternative but to "settle" for a tribal girl, in the process coughing up a large dowry (bride price, actually), as per the tribal marriage custom. In Gujarat, where the sex ratio has dropped to 878 girls for 1000 boys, villages are grappling with this new problem. The grooms are waiting. But, where is the bride? Said Haribhai Adhruk, a village elder, "This trend is becoming commonplace in our village. It's a fallout of people not wanting girls, and the sonography machine has played havoc," he says. Experts warn that with social practices like dhoodh-piti (drowning infant girls in milk, prevalent in Saurashtra), sata-paddhati (marrying daughters into the family of daughter-in-law) and issues like domestic violence, gender discrimination and illegal abortions continuing unabated, there are grave consequences in store for Gujarat. "The state government has begun confiscating unlicensed sonography machines and has raided illegal sonography centres. But, it is society that should realize the problem and bring about a difference," says Amar Vyas, a social activist in Mehsana, a district notorious for female feticide. A startling instance of the social complicity was apparent when the Ahmedabad district health office appealed to people to report cases of female feticide anonymously. Not a single call was received on the phone number that was advertised. "If this trend continues, it will create law and order problems with a rise in domestic violence and infidelity," says social scientist Achyut Yagnik. Source: Times News Network, courtesy Hindu Press International Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 26, 2003 Report Share Posted November 26, 2003 Namaste, It seems to me that this injustice results in a self-correction. When you kill off the female babies you end up with few brides. When brides are few and needed a price must be paid. Perhaps they will come to reverence the female again. Blessings, pr , "Devi Bhakta" <devi_bhakta> wrote: > AHMEDABAD, INDIA, November 15, 2003: On his 31st birthday, Mitesh > Patel of Rajkot, Gujarat, found his ageing father was worried > because he had not found a suitable bride for his son. The old man > was left with no alternative but to "settle" for a tribal girl, in > the process coughing up a large dowry (bride price, actually), as > per the tribal marriage custom. > > In Gujarat, where the sex ratio has dropped to 878 girls for > 1000 boys, villages are grappling with this new problem. The grooms > are waiting. But, where is the bride? > > Said Haribhai Adhruk, a village elder, "This trend is becoming > commonplace in our village. It's a fallout of people not wanting > girls, and the sonography machine has played havoc," he says. > > Experts warn that with social practices like dhoodh-piti (drowning > infant girls in milk, prevalent in Saurashtra), sata-paddhati > (marrying daughters into the family of daughter-in-law) and issues > like domestic violence, gender discrimination and illegal abortions > continuing unabated, there are grave consequences in store for > Gujarat. > > "The state government has begun confiscating unlicensed sonography > machines and has raided illegal sonography centres. But, it is > society that should realize the problem and bring about a > difference," says Amar Vyas, a social activist in Mehsana, a > district notorious for female feticide. > > A startling instance of the social complicity was apparent when the > Ahmedabad district health office appealed to people to report cases > of female feticide anonymously. Not a single call was received on > the phone number that was advertised. > > "If this trend continues, it will create law and order problems with > a rise in domestic violence and infidelity," says social scientist > Achyut Yagnik. > > Source: Times News Network, courtesy Hindu Press International Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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