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Gender: Harmful traditions Throughout Asia, there are many traditional practices in place that impact the opportunities, even the basic human rights, of girls and women. It can start from birth. In some areas of India and China, the disappointment of bearing a girl child can lead to murder. An estimated 50 million female babies have ‘disappeared’ in the tragic practice of female infanticide. Girls get less As they grow up, girls have statistically less money invested in their future, receiving less healthcare, less education, less food from the family pot, and sometimes even a shorter time being breastfed. Even though they may work from an early age, or provide invaluable housework and childcare duties to enable their mothers to work, girls in Asia are often still seen as burdens until they marry. Most traditional upbringings also teach boys and girls very different messages about their place in the world. Girls are taught to believe in their inferiority and dependency, while boys are taught that they have a duty to take charge of girls and women. Without education, opportunities or confidence, girls struggle to prove their worth until they are married and bear children. The 'transactional marriage' In some parts of Asia, the definition of an acceptable marrying age is just 14. Many families give their daughers away even earlier. A girl's early marriage benefits her parents far more than herself. Not only is there sometimes a financial arrangement which can change the fortunes of a family, but parents believe that passing their daughter and the costs of her keep to another family will save them money long-term. Ironically, whether it's the bride's family or the groom's that pays, the girl is still disadvantaged by this 'transactional marriage'. The earlier a girl marries, the earlier she will be expected to have children, the higher her chances of miscarriage, infant death, cervical cancer and maternal death, and the less she will know about health, literacy and ways to support and protect her family. In India, outlawing the dowry has not stopped grooms from demanding it, or parents from offering it. Marrying a daughter can push poor families into substantial debt and is one of the major justifications for female infanticide. In Papua New Guinea, the groom’s family pays. But the bride price was once based on gifts of cultural rather than financial significance, promoting goodwill and alliance between families. Now, exchanged for cash instead of gifts, a Papuan bride is increasingly seen as a commodity. Partly because of this, incidences of violence, ill-treatment and rape within marriage have increased. Old cultures, new traditions In many cases, traditions that affect girls and women are woven into local culture. It’s simply not possible for laws, external influences or the international community to insist on changes to these traditions. For instance, a legal crackdown on female infanticide has only led to more inventive ways to disguise the murders. Instead, World Vision works with communities to help men and women recognise traditions that are harming their families and find alternatives for them. In the case of infanticide, they encourage a bond between mother and child that strengthens determination in the face of family pressures to kill the newborn. Where a dowry or bride price is seen as an important boost to family finances, World Vision provides effective livelihood schemes for alternative ways to financial security. Sponsorship also helps by giving girls a sense of self-worth as they grow up. Sponsorship brings access to education, prevents early marriage and provides role models among community members and local staff. With World Vision’s help, communities throughout Asia are creating new traditions, based on recognising and maximising the potential of men and women, boys and girls. |
