Gendercide
David Phillips
Ms. Captein
Pre-AP World History
4 November 2014
Girls, Gandhi, and Gendercide
Mahatma Gandhi was one of the most influential people of the 20th Century, and impacted human history in a profound way. As a Hindu, he believed in the sacred nature of the cow and explained, “Cow protection…is not mere protection of the cow. It means protection of what lives and is helpless and weak in the world”; however, while protection of the cow has been a fundamental part of most of India’s beliefs, the protection of humans has lost its strength. In fact, cow protection has gone as far as being enforced by the laws of India, yet the societal structure in India and other countries has left human rights unprotected, going as far as murdering live individuals simply because they are a girl—and it isn’t just India. Both India and China experience an entire society in which girls are not valued, and are being murdered by the millions because of social traditions, and it needs to stop. The documentary, “It’s a Girl” provided substantial insight into this topic, and hopefully after reviewing facts and finding the source, we as a human race can find a solution. “It’s a Girl” provided substantial insight into the Gendercide that is occurring in China and India through audacious commentary and powerful anecdotes; however it also brought the big picture into retrospect through statistics. The video explained that in these two countries, up to 30% of girls are being aborted each year. As this statistic keeps up, the gap between male and female populations will continue to increase. In fact, China currently has 37,000,000 more boy children than girl children. I really enjoyed the scientific aspect of this video, because many people will not be swayed by anecdotes. Additionally, the statistics provided great imagery so that I could imagine the enormity of this societal Gendercide. This leaves us asking “what is the future?” and “Why is this occurring”, and the answer can be
Ms. Captein
Pre-AP World History
4 November 2014
Girls, Gandhi, and Gendercide
Mahatma Gandhi was one of the most influential people of the 20th Century, and impacted human history in a profound way. As a Hindu, he believed in the sacred nature of the cow and explained, “Cow protection…is not mere protection of the cow. It means protection of what lives and is helpless and weak in the world”; however, while protection of the cow has been a fundamental part of most of India’s beliefs, the protection of humans has lost its strength. In fact, cow protection has gone as far as being enforced by the laws of India, yet the societal structure in India and other countries has left human rights unprotected, going as far as murdering live individuals simply because they are a girl—and it isn’t just India. Both India and China experience an entire society in which girls are not valued, and are being murdered by the millions because of social traditions, and it needs to stop. The documentary, “It’s a Girl” provided substantial insight into this topic, and hopefully after reviewing facts and finding the source, we as a human race can find a solution. “It’s a Girl” provided substantial insight into the Gendercide that is occurring in China and India through audacious commentary and powerful anecdotes; however it also brought the big picture into retrospect through statistics. The video explained that in these two countries, up to 30% of girls are being aborted each year. As this statistic keeps up, the gap between male and female populations will continue to increase. In fact, China currently has 37,000,000 more boy children than girl children. I really enjoyed the scientific aspect of this video, because many people will not be swayed by anecdotes. Additionally, the statistics provided great imagery so that I could imagine the enormity of this societal Gendercide. This leaves us asking “what is the future?” and “Why is this occurring”, and the answer can be