Opinion

Eliminate gender bias

May 04, 2008 Edition 1

SOUTH Africa may not have the problems that India has with the killing of girl infants or termination of female foetuses, but there is much to be done domestically to improve how women and children are treated.

The Indian government estimates that 10 million girls have been murdered over the past 20 years. It has been fighting for years to break entrenched beliefs and cultural values that allow murder on such a scale to exist.

Activists point out that India has 62 million "missing women" - the number missing from the ratio of men to women.

Experts say that in South Africa daughters are generally cherished and cared for. This is something to be proud of. But abuse is still there for so many women and children.

In India part of the solution to the killing is seen to be the elimination of gender bias in social practices, and changing existing patriarchal and economic bias that affects females.

These are the same battle lines for local activists trying to stop violence against women and children. Concepts such as "men are powerful and women are weak" are too often used to justify abuse.

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