Posted on 03/29/2006 8:36:01 AM PST by JAWs
As I was preparing for this article, I asked a friend who is Jewish if it was appropriate to use the term "holocaust" to portray the worldwide violence against women. He was startled. But when I read him the figures in a 2004 policy paper published by the Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, he said yes, without hesitation.
One United Nations estimate says from 113 million to 200 million women around the world are demographically "missing." Every year, from 1.5 million to 3 million women and girls lose their lives as a result of gender-based violence or neglect.
How could this possibly be true? Here are some of the factors:
In countries where the birth of a boy is considered a gift and the birth of a girl a curse from the gods, selective abortion and infanticide eliminate female babies.
Young girls die disproportionately from neglect because food and medical attention is given first to brothers, fathers, husbands and sons.
In countries where women are considered the property of men, their fathers and brothers can murder them for choosing their own sexual partners. These are called "honor" killings, though honor has nothing to do with it.
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
Thank you for recognizing that feminism exists as a force for positive change.
The fact that it's misused by some does not change that.
When my wife shays that she is a "feminist" this is what she means.
Like Jerry Clower said, she "don't want nobody messing with the deal she's got."
I am curious to find out exactly which countries are being referred to, and if there is a particular religion adhered to by these countries.
Thank God I was born in America. These people protesting in the street in the past few days need to read this article and learn what REAL oppression is.
God bless this woman for speaking out against it and I wish I knew what to do about it. I have three daughters and my heart hurts to think of them going through what these young girls go through. How can mothers allow it? I would die protecting my children. What is wrong with these women who don't care?
Give you three guesses.
Agreed. She is doing something that is helpful for women. This is quite different from the 'other' type of 'feminists' who instead spends time quarrelling amongst themselves on whether 'militant feminism' is 'purer' than 'radical feminism,' and doing nothing else. True feminism is what this woman (and others like her) is doing, since it seeks to help, heal, empower and uplift women .....unlike all the stuff that goes under 'feminism' in liberal circles at universities is simply angst and vitriol (much of it directed against men and doing nothing to actually help women).
Bump!
China, N. Korea and any Islamic country.
China, N. Korea and any Islamic country.
113 million to 200 million women around the world are demographically "missing."
demographically "missing"? what the heck does that mean?
Answer: it means what ever the author wants it to mean.
I have a feeling you already know what you want to hear.
It means that the world is short 113-200 million women based on computations abased on gender numbers unskewed by unnatural factors that lead to the premature deaths or outright murders of many girls. I think the term is precise, if a bit euphemistic.
It just sickens and appalls me when I hear these stories.
I never had any beautiful daughters, but if I did, I'd be a nervous wreck with worry! It's so scary to raise kids these days but I think those with daughters have an especially tough time of it. Thank goodness your beautiful daughters have been blessed with loving parents. I just wish all little girls could be so lucky!
Not always religion. Example: Communism and China.
There was an interesting piece on NPR (yes, believe it or not, NPR) last week about what a problem this is in India. Surprisingly, it's not so much a question of poor people aborting because they can only "afford" to have sons, but middle-class and wealthier people are aborting girls simply because the cultural pull to have a son, especially as the first child, is so strong.
India has outlawed ultrasounds for the purpose of reporting the sex to parents, but no one takes this seriously and the practice continues. In Gujurat and Punjab evidence of "missing" girls is particularly high; among young children the proportion (they said) would normally be 90-95 girls per 100 boys. Instead, for every 100 boys there are 50-60 girls.
No, it has a real meaning, despite your dismissive post. There is a standard ratio for male/female births, and when the numbers are greatly off from expectations, that number is "missing". You may not have studied demographics, but it is a legitimate field of study and has standards of measure.
Without key information, this article and cause is garbage.
She certainly doesn't give citations, does she? I know there are reports (in some cases annual) from UNICEF, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization on this issue; I wonder why she didn't cite anything.
It means that the world is short 113-200 million women based on computations abased on gender numbers unskewed by unnatural factors that lead to the premature deaths or outright murders of many girls. I think the term is precise, if a bit euphemistic.
Well, what this resembles most is "Peter Palaver" (you know,from the same author who wrote "The Peter Principle") All the words have a distinct meaning, but the sentences make no sense at all. Lots of jargon, to put off sensible people from responding.
Don't mean to pick on you but I am tired of words that do not communicate. Having said that, I am an expert on non communication so I welcome you to the club....meetings are on Tuesday.
I take it you've seen this article from Emily Oster at Harvard, on this subject? http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~eoster/hepb.pdf
It's a very real number, but includes one other major factor - selective abortion of female fetuses and infanticide of live female births. This practice is widespread in China and India, among other countries.
The practices described in the article have still more implications, particularly as to China. What happens to the stability of a society where large numbers of men cannot find a mate? Does it turn to crime, warlordism, nationalism and/or foreign conquest? No one knows, yet.
It IS frightening, because my girls are pretty, but not being pretty isn't a surefire thing to not be attacked. I am sick with worry as we are moving the girls to a bigger room, further away from my bedroom. It makes me nervous, but I know it has to be done as they are outgrowing sharing the one room and not enough rooms for them to each have their own. Or not enough money to buy TV for two rooms. So we are installing local alarms on their windows and extra guard locks on the door to the outside. Yikes, how do people let their kids drive and stuff!?! I'm so overprotective, but the news stories scare the heck out of me.
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