India (MNN) ― International Women's Day was a global celebration of the achievements of women past, present and future.
March 8 marked an official holiday in China, Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
However, it's a mixed bag for India. Although Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the current President of India--the 12th person and the first woman to hold the office, women elsewhere have not been able to celebrate her freedom.
In the more-densely populated areas, Indian women participate in all activities such as education, politics, media, art and culture, service sectors, science and technology.
But in isolated areas where poverty is high, that's not the case. In fact, Kaytie Fielder with India Partners says women and girls in India often face tough obstacles. "One of the issues facing being a woman in India is the fact that it can be absolutely life-threatening."
For example, the Dowry system is prevalent in India; it calls for a large sum of money to be paid to the groom at the time of marriage. Brides that cannot meet the husband's expectations are sometimes harassed after the wedding, and sometimes killed.
In most families, only the sons inherit the wealth of the parents, as married girls are considered no longer part of the family. Widows have a grim future. Many blame the wife for an untimely death of her husband. Abuse is common.
Female infanticide in India is common, as daughters are considered economic burdens because of the high cost of weddings and dowries. When a woman gives birth to a girl baby. she often grieves over her misfortune, and she may neglect feeding and caring for the daughter until the girl baby dies.
New prenatal sex-determination techniques, such as ultrasound, have led to an increase in the abortion of female fetuses. Researchers estimate there are as many as 500,000 "missing girls" each year in India due to sex-selective abortion and infanticide.
India Partners provides hope in a number of ways. Fielder explains, "What we do is help them to establish different ways of earning an income. One of our most successful is the tailoring school. We have programs where we are sponsoring widows, giving them a monthly income to help them. We also have medical clinics that we have set up in villages."
Fielder says they are focused on ministry. "Our goal is always to be the hands and feet of Christ, and demonstrate our love and care; then that gives us an opportunity to pray with the women and help them to understand the motivation behind what we're doing."
Funds are needed to keep the programs moving forward. If you can help, click here.
