The Holocaust Happening Right Under Our Noses
A burial mound in Tamil Nadu, India, holds the bodies of eight infant girls. Each of them was strangled at birth by their mother, who desperately wanted a son—so much so that she was willing to kill until she finally got one.
"Why keep girls when keeping them would be difficult?" the mother asks plainly.
Like a punch in the face, this is the opening scene of It's a Girl, a new documentary about a modern-day holocaust happening right under our noses. Shot on location in India and China by Shadowline Films, the hour-long film tells the stories of abandoned and trafficked girls, of brave mothers fighting to save their daughters' lives, and even of mothers who would kill for a son.
The United Nations estimates that as many as 200 million girls are missing in the world today because of "gendercide," the deliberate extermination of girls in favor of boys. It's a Girl, released last month, examines why girls are being annihilated at a rate that has skewed the sex ratio to biologically unsustainable levels in many parts of the world. Using a blend of hand-drawn animations and first-person interviews with mothers and fathers, doctors and demographers, activists and advocates for human rights, It's a Girl provides an excellent primer on the range and scope of gender injustice against girls.
Gendercide occurs most commonly through sex-selective abortion. Ultrasound technology has made it easy and cheap to determine the gender of an unborn child, thus ramping up the number of girls systematically exterminated before birth. Although India has laws against using ultrasound to discover the baby's sex, these laws do little to sway the deeply ingrained cultural bias for boys. Added to the centuries-old tradition of son preference are government mandates, like China's one-child policy, which has accelerated the elimination of girls.
Mark Shan, an analyst with Women's Rights Without Borders, describes in the film how the Chinese government boasts that the one-child policy has prevented more than 400 million births since it was instituted 32 years ago. That's 35,000 abortions a day—1,500 per hour—and many of these are forced abortions up to the ninth month, according to Reggie Littlejohn, president of the group Women's Rights Without Borders.
Evan Grae Davis didn't set out to make a film about gendercide. Originally the director and his production company were exploring the underlying roots of social injustices like gender inequality and the exploitation of the innocent. After researching human rights abuses across five continents, the team arrived in India, where they encountered a shocking reality.
The Seminary Gender Gap
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest
Comments
Displaying 1–10 of 12 comments
See all comments
Jacqueline Susann
This response is to Jim Sparks..... The article IS in fact accurate, as these countries ARE our neighbors and no distance between in God's eyes. The mere idea that someone would take another's life because of their gender, is appalling to say the least, no matter where they may live. American women perform abortions daily just because it interferes with their life style, put in garbage cans and left for dead, drowned them in bathtubs, and the list goes on. Does this make us better? Murder is murder, no matter what excuse is given.
Cecila Hefner
A burial mound in Tamil Nadu, India, holds the bodies of eight infant girls. Each of them was strangled at birth by their mother, who desperately wanted a sonso much so that she was willing to kill until she finally got one.
Debbie
This needs to be shown at every Major College in America..If we stand a chance our future is in their hands and God's.
Ema Laster
Nothing I had seen in my travels even remotely compared to the scale of routine injustice in the practice of gendercide, Davis says.
Screamjem
I have to respond to Anon17, even though this injustice is happen in different continents; Indians and Chinese migrate to the U.S. which means their customs are still the same. Actually they may come to our country on get away from having to kill or give away their daughters. Of course we want to get the facts right but also take into consideration that it may be happening here in the states. Remember, there have been mothers here (in the U.S.) that have put there newborns in the garbage cans ans strangled them.
Jim sparks
What is happening in India and China is wrong, and it is good that this documentary is bringing it to our notice. However, the very fact that it is India and China makes it clear that it is not "right under our noses". These are different continents. Thousands of miles and vastly different cultures away. We do not visit there. We most probably do not have friends from there, so how can it possibly be "right under our noses". Now, if it was happening in our own towns, states or even country, then we could say it was "under our noses". But it isn't, and as a result it isn't. This issue is important, and the story needs to be told. But it needs to be told accurately.
Anon17
Perhaps someone should inform them that it is the MALE who determines the sex of the child, NOT the female! What a waste of human life, and all based on a lie! The "father of lies" must be proud of his work in these countries.
Cheryl
Carol, Im not at all surprised. Given the mainstream medias lack-luster concern over Dr. Kermit in Philadelphia, why would you expect them to be concerned about injustice to females across the ocean? The pro-abortion movement is so strong that the media cant address any issue that even mildly touches it without risking castigation by rabid defenders of abortion. Somewhere along the line, the pro-choice movement morphed from its original concerned-about-women stance to defend-abortion-rights-at-any-cost motivation. Most abortion rights people wouldnt see a problem with gender-based abortions because it is the womans choice whether or not she has a boy or a girl. If you believe in abortion on demand for this country, what right do you have to step into another country and tell them that there are some demands that are inappropriate? The mainstream media will probably never really talk about the problem of gendercide. Thank God that we have faith-based media!
Carol Philips
Marian, Thank you for keeping this issue in the public eye. It's so disappointing and seems odd given their equal rights stance to see how little coverage this receives in the mainstream media.
Michele Rickett
This injustice has been on my heart for the last ten years, as I've served in China, India and other least reached places around the globe with She Is Safe (SIS) for over a decade. My urging is that Christians move to the forefront of addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV), including gendercide, with practical empowerment for women and girls, coupled with the gospel. Christ-centered programs have the power to transform hearts and renew minds on these seemingly intractable problems. Helping communities experience the value of girls who are equipped as entrepreneurs, while bringing the truth of God's value for every human being, is truly effective at changing values and protecting girls for this and coming generations.
*