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Because She is a Girl

Bhumika Ghimire and Anuja Upadhyay

Ideally shouldn’t marriages be a cause of celebration universally? But can it be so when the bride involved is a girl child?

Millions of children (especially girls) throughout South Asia, Africa and Middle East are affected by early marriages resulting in high rate of maternal mortality as a result of it. Poverty is one of the main causes of early marriage in many developing countries. Usually young girls are married off at a very early age and moreover to much older men.

Lack of awareness, missed educational opportunity, harmful cultural beliefs and practices, gender discrimination- are all causes of early marriages amongst girls. Poor families do it in order to settle debts, make money or escape poverty. The girls are sold not only into marriages but also into prostitution-also making them vulnerable to HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases and infections.

Nepal is one of the leading countries in the South Asia region for early marriage practices after Bangladesh. According to United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), 51% of Nepalis marry before reaching adulthood. Early marriage is a problem plaguing villages across the country. The practice is not uncommon even in some urban areas. The fact that more than half of the population are married as children shows that years of campaigning and millions of rupees spent on ending this appalling practice has not been as effective as envisaged.

Prosperity is not helping India’s girl children

Just released numbers from India’s census shows a disturbing trend–even in rich, educated areas, parents are opting to carry out sex selective abortions in order to have a son.

According to columnist Kalpana Sharma at The Guardian,

“Interestingly, the most skewed sex ratios are from states with the highest economic growth rate. So wherever there is wealth, to be shared by members of the family, girls are not wanted. The “family”, meaning the men, must divide the wealth among themselves. Girls marry other men, and their share of the family wealth would go to these other men.

Girls also have to be loaded with goodies when they marry these other men. Hence they are an additional expense. Boys, on the other hand, bring ...

Just released numbers from India’s census shows a disturbing trend–even in rich, educated areas, parents are opting to carry out sex selective abortions in order to have a son.

According to columnist Kalpana Sharma at The Guardian,

“Interestingly, the ...

Nepal: Shaming Womanhood

As a Nepali woman, I am ashamed to make this confession.

For a week after my first period, I was kept in a dark room and not allowed to see any male relative. After I revolted, I was allowed to watch television from behind the curtains-which was in a common room of our joint family of 14.

In our culture, menstruation is un-clean and shameful. It is something to be kept off polite society. To instill that shame young girls are forced into a dark room for a week after their first period. You miss school, friends, social life-so that you understand, fair and clear that from now on you are to be ashamed of your body and for being a woman.

After facing the ...

As a Nepali woman, I am ashamed to make this confession.

For a week after my first period, I was kept in a dark room and not allowed to see any male relative. After I revolted, I was ...

Controversial Tourism Campaign Angers Women in Lebanon

Tourism campaign launched by Lebanese Ministry of Tourism has angered may women in the country. Layal Al Khatib at Global Voices Online blogged about the campaign and has translated a petition sent to the ministry by a women’s group demanding an explanation.

“Your ad contains serious contradictions that we would like you answer:

Firstly, we as women cannot pass our nationality to our children and husbands; we are considered daughters of Lebanese men and not Lebanese women. Therefore you cannot use us in your tourism advert.

Secondly, based on our respect for sex workers and our ongoing demands for laws to regulate their work and protect their safety, rights and health, we ask you as the Ministry of Tourism either to: stop ...

Tourism campaign launched by Lebanese Ministry of Tourism has angered may women in the country. Layal Al Khatib at Global Voices Online blogged about the campaign and has translated a petition sent to the ministry by ...

Controversial Tourism Campaign Angers Women in Lebanon

Tourism campaign launched by Lebanese Ministry of Tourism has angered may women in the country. Layal Al Khatib at Global Voices Online blogged about the campaign and has translated a petition sent to the ministry by a women’s group demanding an explanation.

“Your ad contains serious contradictions that we would like you answer:

Firstly, we as women cannot pass our nationality to our children and husbands; we are considered daughters of Lebanese men and not Lebanese women. Therefore you cannot use us in your tourism advert.

Secondly, based on our respect for sex workers and our ongoing demands for laws to regulate their work and protect their safety, rights and health, we ask you as the Ministry of Tourism either to: stop ...

Tourism campaign launched by Lebanese Ministry of Tourism has angered may women in the country. Layal Al Khatib at Global Voices Online blogged about the campaign and has translated a petition sent to the ministry by ...

Female infanticide on the rise in Nepal

In Nepal and in parts of South Asia, families tend to prefer baby boys; this has pushed many pregnant women to take extreme measures to make sure that they do not “shame” the family by giving birth to a girl. Female infanticide is one such measure and a recent report published at Nepal Weekly says that this heinous practice is on the rise in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu.

The report says that  last year 65% of babies found dead and abandoned around Kathmandu were girls. They were either still born or killed immediately after birth. It is shocking but parents often use most cruel ways to kill an infant. In one instance a baby girl’s body was found with “paan” stuffed ...

In Nepal and in parts of South Asia, families tend to prefer baby boys; this has pushed many pregnant women to take extreme measures to make sure that they do not “shame” the family by giving birth ...

After Egypt: Saudi women want their rights

Euphoria in the Arab world after events in Egypt is still going strong and now Saudi women want to replicate the same in their country- at least when it comes to women’s rights.

A quiet demand for change is gathering support online-through Facebook and Twitter. #Saudiwomenrevolution is building up support among the online community for more rights and freedom for  women who are legally treated as a “household property” .

Eman Al Nafjan, a mom and University student, who blogs at Saudiwoman’s Weblog says that the Twitter campaign is much needed as contributes to ongoing debate over women and child rights in the country.

“There is some good news though. A group of Saudi women have started a hashtag on Twitter #Saudiwomenrevolution and ...

Euphoria in the Arab world after events in Egypt is still going strong and now Saudi women want to replicate the same in their country- at least when it comes to women’s rights.

A quiet demand for change is gathering ...

GOP Rep. Chris Smith is talking about “forcible rape”

Huffington Post has Keli Goff’s spot on commentary on abortion rights in America and how some politicians are now employing questionable ways to achieve their goal of denying a woman her reproductive rights.

When I first heard that GOP Rep. Chris Smith was introducing a bill to redefine the rape exemption allowed for Medicaid coverage of abortions to include only “forcible rape,” my first thought was, “Does he mean forcible rape as opposed to consensual rape?” My second thought was, “What exactly is consensual rape?” (According to Rep. Smith’s bill statutory rape and drug induced rape do not qualify as “forcible rape.”) My final thought on the matter was “Damn. What a good idea.” Not the bill itself but ...

Huffington Post has Keli Goff’s spot on commentary on abortion rights in America and how some politicians are now employing questionable ways to achieve their goal of denying a woman her reproductive rights.

When I first heard ...

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