Discrimination begins during the pregnancy of the mother manifested in high rates of female feticides. If not that, then the female infants are killed. If the girls manage to survive, there is preferential distribution of family resources (food, schooling, health care) and preferences are given to boys.
Malnutrition in India is one of the main factors in hindering India’s improvement in Human Development sector. According to WHO, 60% of the Indian Women are anemic. Weak women give birth to low weight girl child. This enters in vicious circle of female malnutrition through adulthood and into the next generation.
Many are married off at early stages of life. But the plight does not end here. According to UN (2005) around two-third (70% between 15-49 yrs) of married women in India were victims of domestic violence that includes beating, rape or coerced sex. Domestic violence can be psychological abuse, social abuse, financial abuse, physical assault or sexual assault.
If this is not enough, many women are forced to enter flesh trade. This has had various outcomes. Throughout the developing world, people infected with HIV are increasing. By the beginning of the next century, women living with HIV or AIDS through out the world are likely to outnumber the men, says UN. Male-to-female transmission of HIV appears to be 24 times as efficient as female-to-male transmission.
India is a country where rape is a common phenomenon. And you have rapes of all “kinds”. In a study in Bombay by UN, 20% of adolescent abortion seekers occurred because of forced sex, 10% from rape by a male domestic servant, 6% from incest, and 4% from other rapes.
Gender discriminations are also reinforced by economic inequities. Women are only supposed to bring up the children, do the house chores, work in the fields and stay in the house. The resulting poverty and dependence on one’s spouse leads to limited access to health care and education.
Even the government seems to give preferential treatment. Illiteracy among women is rampant. Even if India claims to be a developing country, it is actually becoming regressive. Till now India does not have a law on marital rape, even if a woman's husband has sexual intercourse with her without her consent, he cannot be prosecuted for rape. The very capital of the country cannot guarantee safety to its female citizens and traveling after the dark is challenge that every working women undertakes. And women are not supposed to “dress provocatively”.
In this period of development, when men and women have to share the responsibilities of the house, it is unavoidable that women will go out and work. This does not mean that they are being “adventurous”.
( Published in September edition of HARDNEWS )
So why are the old dumped so ruthlessly, when it is their right to relax and enjoy after years of hard
work?
"An 80-year-old can have dreams of being a prime minister, but
we show no respect for the elderly in our homes," points out Himanshu Rath, chairman, Agewell Foundation, Delhi. This is also true in case of Mohanlal (name changed), who now lives at Durga Care Centre for elderly, an old-age home based in Sainik Farms, Delhi. Mohanlal was a captain in the army. Despite all the facilities and companions of his age, this old-age home is no home. "My son told me that he has found a good place for me to live. He was shifting to a foreign country and decided that I would have problems living alone in the city. So, this is the place where I am supposed to spend the rest of my life," murmurs Mohanlal with tears in his eyes.
Mohanlal's case is similar to that of many elderly across the country. Shunned and ostracised by their families and children, thousands of Indian widows are ruthlessly dumped in Vrindavan and Varanasi. The perverse ploy given is that in Hinduism dying in Vrindavan and Varanasi will free them from the cycle of life and death. It's believed that more than 15,000 exiled and condemned widows live on the streets of Vrindavan amidst stark poverty, pain, illnesses and deprivation, and make their living by begging outside Hindu temples. So, which religion can condone this kind of brutality, often by their sons and families?
Unlike the West, India's healthcare system does not have adequate facilities for the elderly. There are a limited number of hospitals with separate geriatric wards. Additionally, nuclear families are on the rise. With children migrating for greener pastures, elderly parents are left alone to fend for themselves.
The United Nations has declared India as an 'ageing nation'. According to UN statistics, the current ratio is: one old person in every 12. By 2050, it will be one in five persons (approximately 327 million). With the rising population of the elderly, lack of social security systems, poor healthcare, complex geriatric aspects and an acute sense of alienation are major concerns. "If we continue to be insensitive to the needs of the elderly, terrible loneliness and depression will creep in. Shunning them and sending them to an old-age home is not a solution," says Rath.
There has also been a surge in crimes committed against the elderly. Many face domestic violence, while the old couples who live alone are routine victims of murders and robberies. According to Help Age India, Delhi tops the list of crimes against the elderly.
According to Methew Cherian, chief executive of Help Age India, "Today's youth will be tomorrow's elderly. When you have faithfully done all your duties towards your family and society, it is surely the time to celebrate and relax during your autumn years. They deserve it. It is their right. It is not only for the government and society, but also for the family to take care of the elderly with love and compassion."
published in September edition of Hardnews
http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/2009/09/3196
