In India, women face extreme societal pressure to produce a son. It is a sad reality for many mothers that they bear the full brunt of the scorn and shame for giving birth to a girl child. They consequently become victims of abuse, beatings, and sometimes, even murder. A research study (Voluntary Health Association of […]
The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) data for 2019-21 indicates that India has more females than males (1021 females per 1000 males), but ironically, also points towards a slightly improved yet dangerously skewed sex ratio at birth – 929 females per 1000 males. The report also highlights that the states of Jharkhand (899), Telangana […]
The year was 1973. Some elders of a nomadic Rajasthani community considered the situation of a ‘sapera’ (snake-charmer) who was away for work, and his wife, who lay unconscious after giving birth to a baby girl – the seventh child of the family. They decided that the girl (born only a few hours ago) would […]
Published on 26 Aug, 2022 We felt broken many times in the past 30 days: A couple in Gujarat were arrested for burying alive their newborn daughter (although they claimed that it was not because she was a girl, but they could not afford her treatment) Allegedly tortured by her husband for eight years for […]
Updated on 15 July 2022 Divyang Thakkar’s directorial debut Jayeshbhai Jordaar did not make big splashes with its release on 13th May 2022. The film also received mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike. Though with flaws, this social dramedy deserves appreciation for attempting to draw the attention of mainstream media to a topic rarely […]
17 June, 2022 We’ve all heard it – children attributing talents, temperament, mannerisms and physical features to their fathers. While reading this, many of you might even be led to think about all the things you have inherited from your father. That’s how we have been created. But inheritances are not just limited to facial, […]
Updated on 18 May, 2022 Three months ago, YouTube took down several videos promoting gender-biased sex-selection after ADF India allies intervened. Targeted towards Indian married couples, these videos offered information on how to detect the sex of the foetus. It also endorsed and facilitated the indirect sale of gender determination kits/products. The fact that YouTube, […]
Published on 14 April 2022 ADF India stands with a mother from Jharkhand and her two daughters who were abused by her husband and in-laws because of son-preference Abused, disowned, prostituted, and shamed—one can only imagine the horrors Sunita*, a 26-year-old mother in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, had to endure at the hands of her husband, Roshan*, […]
by Adv. Anushree Bernard, ADF India Allied Lawyer Nisha (name changed), a domestic help working in various homes in an affluent South Delhi locality works from 7 AM till 5 in the evening. At the end of a long and physically demanding workday, she returns to caring for her two daughters and an ailing husband. This […]
August 2021 The northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh recently announced that it would enact the Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilisation and Welfare) Bill, 2021, which is purportedly aimed at addressing the issue of overpopulation. However, such a law, if enacted, would undoubtedly have a fatal impact on baby girls in the state. The draft Bill proposes to bar people with over two children from contesting local body […]
Dr. Ganesh Rakh runs a hospital in Pune, Maharashtra with a unique mission to save as many girl children as he can. In the past decade since he launched Mulgi Vachva Abhiyan (Marathi for "campaign to save the girl child"), Dr. Rakh and his team have delivered over 2,000 baby girls without charging any medical […]
Bhavna*, a young mother in Dhanbad, Jharkhand was disowned by her husband of three years in May 2020. She was abandoned for giving birth to a girl against the wishes of her husband and his family. After their marriage, Bhavna and her husband began living with his family, which included his parents, his elder brother […]
May 14, 2021 The Lancet, a leading medical journal, recently released a report documenting the trends in missing female births in India since the 1980s. Here are some of the key learnings from the report: The total number of missing female births in India witnessed an increase of nearly 60%, from 3·5 million in 1987–1996 […]
Vanishing Girls had the pleasure to host an interview with Sharon Angel, Founder of A North Production, Author, TV Show Host, Entrepreneur, Humanitarian, Motivational Speaker and all round Media Production expert. The interview was part of a number of events organised under our “Isn’t She Precious!” campaign. Sharon is a dynamic, young leader and a […]
In India, 7000 unborn girls are aborted every day, just because they are girls! Because of this heinous practice, India ranks fourth in the list of countries with the worst Child Sex Ratio. In this issue we highlight seven important provisions under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994 which was enacted by […]
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) recently released the State of the World Population 2020 report which drew attention to 19 forms of human rights violation against women and girls, one of which is son-preference resulting in sex selection. According to the report, one in three girls missing globally due to gender-biased sex selection is […]
July 15, 2020 Unbridled tears of joy accompanied the reunion of Payal and her daughter Jaya (names changed) after 9 months of painful separation. In February 2020, we had shared the story of this indomitable young mother who would stop at nothing to protect her three daughters. Her husband and his family had tortured her […]
In this issue, we explore what India could look like in 2031 if we fail to protect the lives of unborn girls. A widespread preference for sons, combined with easy access to illegal sex-selective abortions, has led to a significant imbalance in the ratio of boys to girls born in India. According to the latest […]
On a cold November evening in 2019, we were left in shock by a phone call from Payal*, a young mother from Haryana. Married in 2012, Payal had endured years of unfathomable pain and brutality. After marriage, she had lived with her in-laws and was made to do all the household work for the entire […]
Watch the #DaughtersCan video here The National Girl Child Day is celebrated every year in India on January 24. This was introduced by the Government of India’s Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2008 to spread awareness about all the inequalities that girls face. In India, gender inequality finds its most heinous expression in […]
Towards the latter part of this year, I met with some inspiring women during my visit to a rather quiet and serene village in the district of Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. These women have been working as the ASHA workers – Accredited Social Health Activists in their village for as long as almost a decade now. Some […]
There is a need to spread awareness on the reality of sex-selective abortions in India. Killing the girl child in the womb has become so common that people treat it as something normal.
— by Jemi Thomas, MA Clinical Psychology Since 1990, 17.3 million girls in India have been aborted (killed, to say it as it is) due to sex-selective abortions and other forms of pre-natal selection. 17.3 million girls! Why did these 17.3 million girls lose their lives? The answer is painfully simple. These girls were considered […]
43 year old Babita did not have an easy life. She was rejected by her own father from birth because she was born a girl, and not a son like he had always prayed for! Babita worked as a seamstress initially but her passion to serve the women in her community made her join the ASHA initiative and become an ASHA worker.
by Anushree Bernard The United Nations declared 8th of March in 1975 as International Women’s Day to celebrate the social, cultural, political and economic achievements of women across the world. This day gained prominence over the years and it grew from strength to strength as it gave a spectacle to all nations of the world […]
by Tehmina Arora 33,260. This number is the approximate cost of 10g of gold in the city of Delhi. Sadly, it is also the number that will determine how many girl children that are born in India, and how they are cared for. According to research, the cost of a daughter’s marriage including having to […]
