GIRL – A Curse or Boon
Empowerment for girls begins with honoring women and appreciating the very important roles they serve within society.
According to the population census of 2011, the ratio in India is 940 females per 1000 males.
By Madhumita Das The first Girl2B college graduate
We Indians call our nation Mother India and are great devotees of Mother Goddess in various manifestations. Yet we all are openly playing a double standard game with our country as well as our goddess. It might seem natural to assume that the presence of such powerful figures as the Great Goddesses – Maa Durga (the conqueror of all evil), Maa Saraswati (the provider of knowledge), Maa Lakshmi (the provider of wealth), and Devi Mata herself (the earth goddess who nurtures and provides fertility to the soil) – must result in the general empowerment of girls and women. However, the situation is paradoxical. At the other end of the spectrum, we are continuously destroying the precious gift of nature, a girl child. Similar to China, female newborn births are looked upon with disdain and are often unwanted. Pregnant Indian women of means routinely opt for abortions once the gender of an unborn child reveals a female. What happens when a girl is born to a poverty-stricken mother of little options?
It is said that God created mothers because he could not be present everywhere. It is unbelievable to realize that a God’s representative is found mostly buried in graveyards or cooking in the kitchen for their pampered and all-powerful husband.
Yes, that is the truth. In a country where the proverb goes ‘A home without a daughter is like a body without soul’, how can girl infanticide be so rampant? Thousands of girls are killed every day in India. They are either aborted from their mother’s womb or killed after birth.
Even if some are lucky enough to be born, they are not welcome by their families as they are thought to be nothing but a curse. This is due to the dowry system, where parents of the girl have to pay a huge sum of money to the family she gets married into.
Education of a girl child is thought to be a waste. Why spend on her when her only duty will be to serve her husband.
Unfortunately, in India, a girl is often looked upon as a great commodity. There is not enough money for the son’s further studies? – Sell the girl. The family has not enough to eat? – Sell the girl. Likewise is the thought of our society.
It is high time for our society to stop paying homage to idols alone and start paying attention to the reality made of flesh and flood.
If being a woman is her only fault, then educate her, alleviate her, and keep her at par with the men. Then you’ll realize, not only is she a wonderful mother, a loving wife, a disciplined daughter, a caring sister, but also a bastion and a very successful leader.
What she needs is just a chance – let her show you that she is not a curse but a BOON. It’s time to be a real force of empowerment for girls.
Real Change Brings Economic Empowerment For Girls
Girl2B provides food, shelter, vocational training, college education, health services and psychological support to some of India’s orphaned & destitue young women. It takes a village and we can’t do this without your support. Learn more about what we do on our website and if inspired, donate today. A little really does go a long way.
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