Growing up as a strong-headed single child with a privileged upbringing in Calcutta, Devi has learnt much from her surroundings. Her childhood memories are filled with mixed emotions - especially as she remains angry with her mother and the hypocrisy of women in India.On an unexpected journey home, she encounters reality - new stories and experiences of strangers, as well as friends. It has been years since she left Calcutta, yet the city's untold stories haunt her. This time Devi is back in town to solve issues and above all, through some painful and hard revelations, to make peace with those she can.
Advancement and empowerment of women has been a leading objective of state policy in India ever since the attainment of Independence in 1947. The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles of State Policy. The Constitution not only grants equality to women, but also empowers the state to adopt measures of positive discrimination in favour of women. Gender equality is a constituent of development as well as an instrument of development. No country can be deemed developed if half of its population is severely disadvantaged in terms of basic needs, livelihood options, access to knowledge and political voice. A natural corollary of ensuring gender equality is the elimination of gender discrimination. The problem of missing girl child pertains to unborn girl children in their mothers' wombs, who are deliberately disposed of (in contravention of the existing laws) before birth only because they are female. Their disposal before birth is extreme instance of gender discrimination, forbidden both by domestic and international laws and conventions. The burgeoning size of this missing group is now receiving attention as a factor crucial to the health of the social fabric and to the well-being of communities. 2011 Census data shows that the sex ratio for children below 6 years (i.e. number of girls for every 1,000 boys) dropped from 927 in 2001 to a dismal 914 in 2011. This decline is unabated since 1961 Census. This book provides deep insights into the problem of female foeticide in India. It explains and examines the reasons for its rapid growth, laws to safeguard the rights of women and the landmark judgments of courts in this context. Role of civil society and media has also been highlighted in improving the status of Indian women. [Subject: Women Studies, Asian Studies, Sociology, Gender Studies, Human Rights, Healthcare, Economic Development, Law]
The present work is concerned with problems of girl child, their exploitation, discrimination, disparity in education and health sector, sex determination tests, sex-ratio and their serious implications in India in the global frame. Both Primary and secondary sources of data have been accumulated and used for analysis and interpretation in making the study more interesting and useful. Contents: Introduction, Exploitation of Girl Child in Indian States, Girl Child and Disparity in Education, Neglect of Girl Child in Health Sector, Human Rights and the Girl Child, Conclusion.
At what age do girls gain the maturity to make sexual choices? This question provokes especially vexed debates in India, where early marriage is a widespread practice. India has served as a focal problem site in NGO campaigns and intergovernmental conferences setting age standards for sexual maturity. Over the last century, the country shifted the legal age of marriage from twelve, among the lowest in the world, to eighteen, at the high end of the global spectrum. Ashwini Tambe illuminates the ideas that shaped such shifts: how the concept of adolescence as a sheltered phase led to delaying both marriage and legal adulthood; how the imperative of population control influenced laws on marriage age; and how imperial moral hierarchies between nations provoked defensive postures within India. Tambe takes a transnational feminist approach to legal history, showing how intergovernmental debates influenced Indian laws and how expert discourses in India changed UN terminology about girls. Ultimately, Tambe argues, the well-meaning focus on child marriage has been tethered less to the interests of girls themselves and more to parents’ interests, achieving population control targets, and preserving national reputation.
This book discusses regional and global discourses on the rights of children, especially girls. It focuses on social and government initiatives to address the marginalization of women and girls in societies across the world. It traces the root causes for the vulnerable positions of girls and women and the challenges associated with improving their access to opportunities, education, healthcare and socio-economic freedoms. It explores national and international initiatives for the welfare and development of the girl child and recent social, legal and policy developments towards uplifting vulnerable girls in largely patriarchal societies in India. It looks at debates over age and rights; the status of the girl child; the causes and consequences of being vulnerable; various aspects of welfare and protection and the cultural relativism and violation of human rights of girls and women. An important volume on human rights, this book will be of interest to students, researchers and practitioners of gender studies, sociology of the family, human rights, law and civil liberties, development studies, socio-legal studies, and sociology and social policy.
"Violence Against Girl Child in India" explores the widespread issue of gender-based violence affecting young girls across Indian society. The book covers various forms of abuse, including physical violence, sexual exploitation, neglect, and emotional harm, occurring in homes, schools, and communities. It highlights the role of deeply rooted patriarchal norms, cultural practices, and socio-economic factors in perpetuating these injustices. Using case studies, statistical data, and expert analysis, the book reveals the psychological and social impacts on girls' development and well-being. It also reviews the legal protections in place, addressing the gaps that hinder their effective implementation. This work aims to raise awareness, encourage societal change, and advocate for reform and empowerment initiatives to create a safer and more equitable environment for young girls.
This important collection showcases the most sensitive short fiction on the subject of the girl child by some of India's finest writers. The stories cut across social, economic and regional divides to reveal what life is like for a girl growing up in India. And they raise a crucial question: will our society ever rise above its innate hypocrisies and change the way it regards its women? To read these stories is to feel pain, bewilderment, outrage, compassion and a sudden surge of hope at finding love and tenderness where one least expects it.
This book is a maiden publication based on research work in the field of women education. It has implications reaching far beyond the city of Bareilly (U.P.) - the area of field investigation. A genuine attempt has been made to explore the diverse historical, demographical, socio-psychological, educational as well as economic dimensions of women education. Very simple, everyday, down-to-earth happenings have been cited which will propel the readers and leaders to a higher level of both purpose and commitment towards enhancing women education. A vivid description through ample illustrations like maps, graphs, tables and photographs has been made. A detailed Bibliography and Questionnaire would help readers in further research. A comprehensive subject index would facilitate easy reference. A detailed study of government initiatives, Five-year plans and the current budget proposals has been made. The idea behind the book is to respond to the two challenges of (a) increasing the availability of education by expanding the number of schools for girls or taking the schools to the un-reached girls, thereby increasing supply and (b) improving the accessibility of education by reducing costs, thereby increasing demand.
Female Infanticide in India is a theoretical and discursive intervention in the field of postcolonial feminist theory. It focuses on the devaluation of women through an examination of the practice of female infanticide in colonial India and the reemergence of this practice in the form of femicide (selective killing of female fetuses) in postcolonial India. The authors argue that femicide is seen as part of the continuum of violence on, and devaluation of, the postcolonial girl-child and woman. In order to fully understand the material and discursive practices through which the limited and localized crime of female infanticide in colonial India became a generalized practice of femicide in postcolonial India, the authors closely examine the progressivist British-colonial history of the discovery, reform, and eradication of the practice of female infanticide. Contemporary tactics of resistance are offered in the closing chapters.
