The Pink Ladoo Project
The Pink Ladoo Project is a U.K. based campaign that strives to advocate and promote gender equality. The campaign specifically aims towards abolishing and reforming gender-biased traditions, practices and customs in South Asian communities that undermine the value of female babies and praises the value of male babies.
The Pink Ladoo Project was founded by Sikh, British-Asian and Canadian, Raj Kaira, who is a lawyer and activist. It was founded in the UK in September 2015, and officially launched on October 11th, 2015, on the day of The International Day of the Girl Child. Raj Kaira was inspired to launch this initiative when she noticed a common gender-bias that occurred in her own South Asian home. She observed that when her brother was born, Laddu (also spelt as ladoo), a popular celebratory Indian sweet, were shared amongst her community to celebrate the birth of the baby boy. However, when her sister was born, she observed that this did not occur and, in fact, some family members cried because a baby girl was born. The Pink Ladoo Project was created with the purpose of opposing and challenging the common male-centric beliefs of South Asian communities and to raise awareness on this prevailing social issue.[1]
Traditions of Distributing Sweets in South Asian Cultures
The consumption and distribution of South Asian sweets is a significant tradition in South Asian cultures.[2] South Asians share and partake in sweets with family and friends in decorative, ornamental boxes for several occasions such as religious affairs, weddings, new years, to show appreciation, and a variety of life events. Sweets are distributed and consumed during the many diverse religious festivals of South Asia such as Eid, Ramadan, Diwali, Raksha Bandhan and Lohri.[3] Additionally, it is believed that in the religion of Hinduism, a religion followed by many South Asians, that Hindu gods favor sweets, and therefore are offered during prayers and rituals. Sweets have an integral role in a variety of important life events as well. There are many wedding traditions involving the exchange of sweets. For instance, the bride and groom exchange sweets during engagement celebrations, during the arrival at the groom’s house and there are traditions in which the bride offers sweets to guests and the family of the groom.[4] In terms of a variety of important life events, the distribution of sweets to neighbours, friends and family and consumption of sweets is a customary way of showing appreciation for hospitably to celebrating a new job. In addition, sweets are shared amongst family and friends to celebrate birthdays and the birth of newborn babies. In general, the consumption of South Asian sweets is a prominent way to express joy, happiness and celebration. [5]
Ladoos
In particular, it is habitual to distribute ball-shaped, orange sweets called ladoos, to celebrate the birth of baby boys. Additionally, in Punjab, a state north of India, a popular Punjabi festival called Lohri, celebrated on the thirteenth of January, is celebrated for various reasons, such as marking the end of winter, and can also be celebrated by families who have boy children.[6]
Direct Action
To provoke and stimulate change of this traditional mentality, The Pink Ladoo project produces and uses pink coloured ladoos, which are usually yellow, as a symbol of celebrating the birth of baby girls. Members of the campaign deliver donated pink ladoos from Indian sweet shops who support their movement, to hospitals and families welcoming female newborns, to celebrate the value and life of female babies.
This campaign has been extended globally to families and hospitals in Canada, the UK, Australia and Pakistan. There are currently 22 members on the executive team working across 3 different continents. In Canada, volunteers have distributed pink ladoos to hospitals and families in Edmonton, Ottawa, Regina, Brampton and Toronto.[7] In Gujarat, Pakistan, a group of volunteers displayed posters and distributed pink ladoos across campus. In the UK, hospitals and families are using pink ladoos to celebrate baby girls and in addition, pink ladoos are best selling sweets in a UK Indian sweets shop. Families in Australia as well, have been celebrating with pink ladoos in their own homes, and hospitals.
As The Pink Ladoo Project is a pro bono campaign, profits are not collected or accepted from the purchases of pink ladoos. Instead, the campaign endeavors to create and encourage open dialogue of the inequality towards girls and the prejudicial ramifications this makes on girls, and communities as a whole.[8] The campaign uses social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and their website, www.pinkladoo.org to encourage impactful and influential dialogue. There are currently 25,000 followers across their social media platforms. The campaign’s social media platforms share and inform followers on real-life stories regarding reforming South Asian gender discriminations.
Practices of Discrimination Against Baby Girls in South Asian Countries
Overall, more South Asian countries than others follow a salient cultural bias against baby girls. Historically, South Asian families relied on sons for many similar reasons. Boys were and still are generally believed to be the ones to take on the role of being a provider, to take care of the family and carry the family name. In contrast, girls are typically considered to be a burden because historically and presently girls are revoked from any role of importance in her own family as a result of dreaded dowry payments, the common belief that once the girl is married off she solely belongs to her husband’s family, and other common beliefs of girls being unable to provide for her own family, due to deprivation of education and many other opportunities.
Common practices of eliminating and subverting the value of baby girls in South Asian cultures includes the ill-treatment of the baby girl throughout her life by abandonment, sexist treatment of denying access to education, healthcare and other essential resources from the baby girls, the assassination of female babies, and female infanticide, known as female feticide or female foeticide, meaning the intentional murder of female fetuses, resulting in an imbalance of boy to girl ratios in several countries.
India
India is a male-dominated society for a few reasons. One reason being, the gender roles that are given to males and females. Traditionally, Indian sons are considered a vital and indispensable resource in which they can earn money for the family and take care of parents in their old age. “Girls are considered a liability, bringing financial pressure on the mother and father. That is because the parents have to give a dowry, usually money or property, to the family of the girl’s husband.”[9] Although dowry has been illegal since the sixties[10], it is still a recurrent practice, enhancing the stigma of baby girls being a financial burden to their families. Another reason for India being a male-dominated society is because of the sexist beliefs and tradition of undermining the value of baby girls, many fatal, harmful and criminal actions are taken place towards baby girls, creating an imbalance of the boy to girl ratio. For every 1000 boys in India, there are 914 girls. In some areas of India, the ratios are strikingly imbalanced. In some villages, there are 500 girls for every 1000 boys.[9] Women are pressured to abort babies due to the perpetuating societal discrimination against female babies. Women receive pressure from themselves, husbands and in-laws tend to have a notable role as well. There have been many cases in India, of the involvement of in-laws forcing abortion, or deliberate murders baby girls born or yet to be born into the family. Acts of sex-selective abortion, infanticide and female foeticide (or female feticide), the murder of a baby girl is a prevalent, violent practice to avoid the burden of having a girl. 700,000 girls are aborted every year.[11] However, if the baby girl isn’t aborted, the baby girl can be treated with little to no care from the parents. In a National Health Survey of 30,000 Indians, it was discovered that it was more probable that women pregnant with baby boys would ensure they’re healthy for the baby in terms of taking supplements, prenatal medical care and appointments, tetanus shots and having the baby at a healthcare facility.[10] In 2015, Prime Minister Modi of India launched the "Beti Bachao Beti Padhao" also known as Save the Daughter, Teach the Daughter campaign to recuperate the serious loss of baby girls in India by aiming to eliminate sex-selective abortion, intensify protection of girl babies and children and heighten access to education and opportunities for all girls.[12] In a speech given in Haryana, a village in India with a worrisome boy to girl ratio of 879 girls for 1,000 boys,[9] he stated: “In our neighbourhood, girls are commonly killed in their mothers' wombs and we don't feel the pain,” He also stated, “We don't have a right to kill our daughters.”[13] In India, baby girls are 75% more likely to die than baby boys.[11]
Afghanistan
In Afghan society, baby boys are often preferred over girls. This preference exists because it is believed that baby boys are the future breadwinners, protectors and head of families, who will continue the family legacy and family lineage. Sons are seen as the sole reliable inheritors of family estate[14] and are depended on to take care of members of the family such as younger siblings, and parents when they are older. With such a reliance on baby boys, when baby girls are born, it is seen as a nuisance, resulting in disappointment.[15]The birth of girls has a significant impact on the parents, specifically on the mother and the daughter themselves. When a mother gives birth to a baby girl, it is common for the mother to be mistreated right after delivery. The mothers are usually to blame for not conceiving sons, because some believe that it is the woman’s only purpose to give birth to boys, if she really wants to. Some even believe that women can have an influence on the uterus by their brain, which is incorrect.[16] Mothers tend to feel penitent, caused by mistreatment and shaming of the husband and his family. Mothers not being able to conceive sons can interfere with their marriages and well-being. In some cases, husbands of the mothers marry a second time if no sons were conceived, and mothers may be abused and suffer from domestic violence.[17] The baby girls themselves tend to also be mistreated. The daughters may undergo bias treatment in comparison to boy siblings if they have them, by for example waiting to eat until after the boy siblings have eaten. In addition, Bacha Posh, the disguising of girl children as a boy child or son, is a popular option forced upon baby girls as they grow older, to avoid embarrassment and sexist treatment from Afghan society, which can result in severe psychological impacts on the girl child.[16]
Nepal
Nepali culture is generally formed by a deep-rooted patriarchal social structure.[18] There are noticeable cultural practices of couples preferring to give birth to baby boys rather than girls. Nepali culture believes in tradition, sons earn the higher income and who will inherit property, whereas daughters are meant to leave the family and become the daughter of her in-laws only.[19] Such cultural beliefs affect the desire and effort to invest in baby girls. A variety of outcomes can occur when a girl baby is born in a Nepali family. Son preference in Nepal has made a great impact on decline of the use of contraceptive pills. The contraceptive pills are known to be least likely used by mothers and wives who did not conceive any sons. In 2014, a study found that one in five married, young mothers in Nepal use contraception, in particular in rustic areas where educational levels are less accessible.[19] Sex-selective abortion of female fetuses is a prevailing issue as well in Nepali culture. Families who have a preference to a son, rather than a daughter perform an estimate by UNICEF of 20 percent of more than 70,000 abortions take place in Nepal each year. Giving birth to a baby boy may also determine the mother’s status within the family. In some cases, mothers may be divorced, abused, humiliated, abandoned or forced to abort the baby if the baby is a girl. Due to such practices of abortions of baby girls, it is believed that millions of women are ‘missing’ from the Nepali population, resulting in an imbalance of males to females.[20]
Pakistan
Pakistani culture is known to be a male authoritarian culture. Culturally it may not be abnormal for girls to be unwelcomed at birth. Baby girls are disvalued, because when daughters marry, they are expected to support their in-laws, and husband, losing a vital role in their own family. There is a strong value for baby boys who are expected to care for his parents when needed, who will continue the family business or trade, and who will carry the family name. When girl babies are to be expected, the mother’s and baby girl’s mental health is at stake, increasing the risk of mental health disorders, as it is a huge risk factor of psychological morbidity.[21] In some recorded cases, mothers experience the loss of their unborn and born baby girls, as a result of the dissatisfaction of the gender of the baby, leading to murder of the baby girls by in-laws, husbands and sometimes by the mother themselves. In cases when baby girls are born, they are likely to suffer from a lifetime of sexist discriminations. Baby girls are not properly cared for, especially compared to male family members, they are more vulnerable to neglect, abuse, lack of access to autonomy, education and resources. In addition, in Pakistan, medical care is given more to sons rather than daughters, therefore susceptible to a higher rate of mortality even when born.[21] Gynecologists from clinics in Pakistan have publicly proclaimed the difficulties and frustrations they witness when they inform Pakistani mothers the gender of the baby, when the baby is a girl. “The news of girls will almost always lead to cries of sorrow.” This sexist preference of boy babies over girl babies are causing a phenomenon of ‘missing women.’ Sex-selective abortions and the neglecting of baby girls are the leading cause of vanishing girls of Pakistan.[22] There is a significant absence of substantial data regarding sex ratios of boys to girls. The last census was shared in 1998, of a ratio of 108 males to 100 females. The lack of recent and current data to validate this problem, only serves to further compound the problem.[22]
Practices of Discrimination Against Baby Girls of South Asian Diasporas in Western Countries
The emigration of South Asian communities to Western countries like Canada and the UK is occurring at an increasing rate. Therefore, South Asian communities have a distinct presence in populations of such countries. Consequently, as some South Asians are moving to other countries, as do gender-bias practices towards baby girls.
Canada
In 2011, it was recorded that South Asians make up 4.9% of the Canadian population.[23] Although sex-selection is illegal in Canada, there are no abortion laws.[24] In the popular, Canadian city, known for its multiculturalism, Toronto, located in the east central province of Ontario with a high population of South Asians and a growing number of abortions believed to be baby girls, approximate a loss of 4,400 Canadian girls throughout two years,[25] six hospitals in the GTA implemented strict policies to discontinue ultrasounds, which reveal the baby’s gender to pregnant mothers. Factually, these six hospitals are established in areas of highly populated South Asians residents. Although this may be a coincidence, it is a factor taken into consideration. The hospitals that have restricted the processes for gender revealing are as follows: Toronto East General Hospital, Rouge Valley Health System, William Olser Health System, Humber River Regional Hospital, North York General Hospital, and The Scarborough Hospital.[26]
United Kingdom
The UK has a growing number of female feticides. Some South Asian mothers have publicly communicated about the pressures and shame they receive from in-laws and husbands when they are unable to have boy children, or when they give birth to a girl child, such as hostile remarks like “it could be taken care of” when a girl child is born.[27] Abortion clinics in the UK have been reported to perpetuate the sexist practice of female feticide. For instance, two South Asian doctors[28] from an abortion clinic called Calthorpe Clinic, located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, have been indicted for counterfeiting abortion forms. It was reported and documented by a The Telegraph on video, Dr. Palaniappan Rajmohan accepted a patient who was pregnant with a female baby and requested for the sake of the video, to abort their baby because they did not want a girl child. As a response to this request, Dr. Rajmohan said, “That’s not fair. It’s like female infanticide, isn’t it?” Although Dr. Rajmohan was able to identify that aborting the unborn girl baby because of the gender was female feticide, he then offered to cover up this reason with a common excuse that the pregnant woman wanted an abortion because she is too young for pregnancy. Dr. Rajmohan was suspended for three months. Another doctor from a different private clinic and hospital in Manchester, named Prabha Sivaraman was also reported to have erroneously permitted a pregnant woman who requested the abortion of her unborn baby girl because of the gender. When this request was made, Dr. Sivaraman responded, “I don’t ask questions. If you want a termination, you want a termination.” [29] Although not all doctors in the UK permit female feticide, however, The Independent, an online British news source, has been informed by a pediatrician in Leicester, of several cases in the Midlands where women alternatively have chosen to travel to India carry out female feticide.[27]
Svana4201 (talk) 02:45, 19 December 2016 (UTC)Svana4201
Works Cited
- ↑ "How pink sweets are challenging gender prejudice in south Asian communities". The Guardian. October 11, 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
- ↑ "The Sweet Side of the Subcontinent". Raison d'Etre. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
- ↑ Chopra, Madhu. "Guide to Indian Sweets". DesiBlitz. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ↑ eds, Margaret A. Mills ... (2003). South Asian folklore : an encyclopedia : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. New York, NY [u.a.]: Routledge. p. 174, 552. ISBN 978-0415939195. Search this book on
- ↑ Sukhadwala, Sejal (25 October 2011). "What's eaten at Diwali?". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ↑ Purewal, Navtej K. (2010). Son preference sex selection, gender and culture in South Asia (English ed.). Oxford: Berg. p. 83. ISBN 978-1847887535. Search this book on
- ↑ Draaisma, Muriel (October 11, 2016). "Baby girls are special, too, the Pink Ladoo Project tells new Ontario parents". CBC News. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ↑ Lalani, Azzura (October 11, 2016). "Pink Ladoo Project aims to give sweet welcome to baby girls | Toronto Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Ritter, Mario. "India to Change a Culture of Valuing Boys over Girls". VOA. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
“Girls are considered a liability, bringing financial pressure on the mother and father. That is because the parents have to give a dowry, usually money or property, to the family of the girl’s husband.”
Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "Ritter" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 10.0 10.1 Henion, Andy (28 March 2013). "Bias against girls can start in the womb - Futurity". Futurity. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "Futurity" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 11.0 11.1 "The Issue – Invisible Girl Project". invisiblegirlproject.org. Retrieved 4 December 2016. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "Invisible Girl Project" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ "BBBP Home". wcd.nic.in. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ↑ Mahr, Krista (22 January 2017). "Modi launches campaign to tackle India's dwindling number of girls". Reuters. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ↑ Najibullah, Farangis; Shaheed, Haseeba (February 7, 2012). "Baby Girls Seen As Mixed Blessing In Afghanistan". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ↑ Sarwary, Bilal (30 January 2012). "Afghan woman is killed 'for giving birth to a girl'". BBC News. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Callahan, Maureen (21 September 2014). "The girls who live as boys to survive in Afghanistan". New York Post. Retrieved 3 December 2016. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "Callahan" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Adeel, Mirwais (July 27, 2015). "Newly-born baby abandoned in Ghor because she was born girl - Khaama Press (KP) | Afghan News Agency". www.khaama.com. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ↑ "Gender-biased sex selection | UNFPA - United Nations Population Fund". www.unfpa.org. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Ghosh, Palash (15 March 2013). "Nepal: Abortion, The Preference For Baby Boys And A Gender Imbalance". International Business Times. Retrieved 8 December 2016. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "Ghosh" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Subedi, Dipak (2011). "Missing Girls in Nepal: An Emerging Challenge". Health Prospect. 10: 34–35. doi:10.3126/hprospect.v10i0.5647. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Qadir, Farah; Khan, Murad M; Medhin, Girmay; Prince, Martin (29 September 2011). "Male gender preference, female gender disadvantage as risk factors for psychological morbidity in Pakistani women of childbearing age - a life course perspective". BMC Public Health. 11: 745. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-11-745. ISSN 1471-2458. PMC 3195096. PMID 21958069. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "Qadir" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 22.0 22.1 Schellmann, Habiba Nosheen and Hilke (June 19, 2012). "Abandoned, Aborted, or Left for Dead: These Are the Vanishing Girls of Pakistan". The Atlantic. Retrieved 8 December 2016. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "Schellmann" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ "South Asian Canadians". Wikipedia. 14 October 2016.
- ↑ Leung, Wency (April 11, 2016). "Some couples in Canada practising prenatal sex selection in favour of male fetuses, studies suggest". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ↑ Forani, Jonathan (April 11, 2016). "Indo-Canadian women give birth to far more boys than women born in Canada | Toronto Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ↑ Yang, Jennifer (April 16, 2012). "Six GTA hospitals won't reveal fetal sex during ultrasound | Toronto Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Milmo, Cahal (14 January 2014). "The lost girls: 'If you have a girl, you feel you've let your". The Independent. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
it could be taken care of
Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "Milmo" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ "Ban On Indian-Origin Doctor Caught On Camera For 'Gender Abortion' Lifted In UK". NDTV.com. February 25, 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ↑ Telegraph Reporters (3 Nov 2015). "Abortion doctor who agreed to gender-based termination suspended for three months". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
This article "The Pink Ladoo Project" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:The Pink Ladoo Project. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
