India's light-weight gun for women slammed as 'abhorrent'

A new light-weight gun was created that was named after a gang rape victim in India. The firearm is called Nirbheek modeled after a woman who was raped and beaten on December 26, 2012. The weapon which is very light is said to provide deterrence for women who hold it in order to minimize the numbers of women who fall prey to rape in India. Just by holding the gun, rapists will be warded off and prevented from harassing the women. The gun, however, was abhorred by women as they did want to carry such a device in their handbags. In addition, it was very expensive, and the women who are actually affected by rape could not hold them because of its price tag. Obtaining a gun license is very difficult in the first place in India, and it is very difficult for poor women to get one in the country. In addition, adding a gun to the picture is only fighting violence with violence which is not a path that the women of India want to take. Ultimately, this new gun is destined to failure as it will not do what it is intended to do.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/13/world/asia/india-women-gun/index.html?iref=allsearch

1. What are the humans right abuses that can come out of the use of this gun? How does it relate to one of the 7 themes of CST?

2. What is one way that the gang rapes in India can be lowered because the solution of adding protection would not work as seen through this article?

Rape of Danish Tourist in India

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/17/world/asia/india-3rd-arrest-in-rape-of-danish-tourist.html

About two weeks ago, a middle-aged Danish woman vacationing in India was held at knifepoint and gang raped. This epidemic problem in India is affecting women of all races and ages. Women in India, however, are more accustomed to these tragedies, and therefore can me smarter in their efforts to stay safe and avoid rape. However, this naïve tourist went up to a group of Indian men to innocently ask for directions. Due to this fatal mistake, she was then held at knifepoint for over 3 hours, gang raped, and even robbed. The police have been involved and in pursuit of the attackers. One man has been arrested, and two other suspects caught, who were carrying stolen items form the Danish woman’s purse. The five other men involved are being sought out by the police, and the woman left India without submitting a medical examination.

1. How are injustices such as these to be prevented in India?

2. Is this level of police enforcement good, or should India still strive to get their police more involved?

3. How can tourists be warned of how to stay safe when traveling in India?

New Law to Ban Manual removal of Human Waste

As we have discussed in class, the caste system is still very prevalent in India today, but not simply in the cultural aspect. Rather, because of their caste people have to work in horrendous conditions. An example of this is the lower level Dalits who must dispose of waste by hand. State governments deny this issue and say that this practice does not continue, but many independent studies have shown that it still is very prevleant. Recently, a new law was past that there will be jail times and punishment for those who employ these sewage workers. It also states that those who had this job will receive cash to make up for the loss in job. Although this should be celebrated as a breakthrough, there are many problems with this law. There are no specifications on how the money or the enforcement will go about, and no enforcement has been taken place. The effectiveness of this law uncertain, but it is a step forward.

1) How does being expected to clean waste by hand strip one of their dignity?
2) Keeping in mind of the other problems India faces today including women's issues, how much of a priority should enforcing this ban of manual sewage clean up be?

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/24/new-law-to-ban-manual-removal-of-human-waste-disappoints/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

India stretched to the limit by overpopulation

India's population problem becomes more and more critical everyday, as seen through the country's environmental degradation, pressured infrastructure, and a stressed transportation system. The huge masses of people that live and grow everyday in India's increasingly metropolitan cities require more living space and transportation, most of which is merely impossible to get. In November, a building company put two extra stories in a Bangalore building in order to sell to more people. Unfortunately, the building collapsed and killed 12. The Indian railway and train systems, both vital to city life, simply cannot handle the amount of people that attempt to use them. The Delhi Metro routinely has to add more train coaches, widen boarding platforms, increase the size of stations, and increase the frequency of train rides. However, it still has trouble accommodating all those who try and use the trains. Overpopulation has taken its toll on the countryside and its environment as well. 80% of India lives in the countryside in remote villages, and they all need timber for fuel. This had lead to mass deforestation of India's forests, which only leads to soil erosion, pollution of the water supply, and desertification. If this is not stopped, it will cause a huge drop in India's agricultural capacity, only crippling the ever-burgeoning population even more. All in all, the overpopulation of India causes massive harm to almost every aspect of the nation.

Dailymail Online India, Gautam Bhatia. Published December 3rd, 2013.

1) Name two effective solutions to mitigate and eventually solve India's overpopulation crisis.

2) Which of the seven tenets of Catholic Social Teaching will this overpopulation eventually violate (if not already)?

Female Infanticide in Tamil Nadu

 http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil_nadu/Infanticides-Come-Back-to-Haunt-State/2014/01/12/article1996031.ece

This article discusses two recent incidences of female infanticide in the state Tamil Nadu. In the first, a ninth month old baby girl was strangled to death with a rope by her mother, Punitha. Punitha and her husband Varadharaj had had one son and two daughters. Apparently Punitha, who wanted another son, strangled her daughter when her husband was away and claimed that she had died of fever. Her husband grew suspicious of this story and the a postmortem of the baby revealed that she had been strangled and her neck had been broken. In another instance of female infanticide in the area, the body of a baby girl was found in a river within the same area. The mouth and nose of the baby were plastered, indicating that someone had killed her and thrown her into the river. An inquiry is being conducted in order to determine who committed the murder. Meanwhile, the district is taking action against the female infanticide problem through a project known as the "cradle baby scheme." Parents who are considering infanticide are asked to turn their children into the district. Officials assert that it is better to give up the baby than to kill it--these children will be cared for in foster homes or elsewhere. Within the last year, 1, 395 babies were taken in by the district.
1) Do you believe the "cradle baby scheme" is an effective way of reducing the instance of female infanticide in Tamil Nadu? Or is it an ineffectual short term solution to the problem?
2) What is the root cause of the high instance of female infanticide in Tamil Nadu? Why is it so much more prevalent in this state even though literacy rates are reasonably high?
3) What solution do you propose to solving the problem of female infanticide in India?

Indian Woman and Baby Burned Alive for Dowry

In India women and her baby girl where allegedly burned herself and her baby alive. The report states this case is a dowry case. It could also be a little influenced because her first child was a girl. According to this report three suspects poured kerosene on her and her baby and set them on fire. The baby died instantly and the mother went to the hospital with complications. The court has sent the suspects to court. According to this article! "Police across India registered 8,233 murders of women as dowry deaths in 2012, according to national crime data" (Singh). This is a lot of people who died just because of dowry. Of course we know that this number is bigger because many people do not report it to the police. As a class we also recognize how long the courts take with one of these cases of bride burnings because of dowry. This is an example how bride burnings are still happening in India.

1. This is a great example that bride burnings because of dowry still exists in India. What would you recommend to try and stop these women trying to kill themselves?

2. Do you think the number of murders of women just because of dowry is accurate or inaccurate? Why?

India's missing women displayed in India's annual art fair

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/feb/01/india-art-fair-2014-missing-women


The Indian Art Fair, which opened Friday February 3, chose to tackle the problem of sex discrimination in India. The display of  black silhouettes  in the art fair represented the millions of missing women throughout India. This piece of art, called M.I.S.S.I.N.G, by artist Leena Kejriwal, is a visual response to the severe gender gap  and the resulting gender imbalances in many places throughout India. Mrs. Kerjiwal recognized the problem of infanticide, gender selective abortion, and the death of girls through neglect while explaining her art piece. According to the reports from the UN Development Programs, Asia was missing about 96 million women, which resulted from neglect and infanticide in throughout India.  The display of this art piece as well as others conveys India's successful attempts to raise awareness regarding issues such as sex discrimination. Through events such as the Indian art fair, people are reaching out to members of their community, asking them to help change their society for the better.


Do you think education of the public is the most effective way to eliminate gender discrimination throughout India? explain why or why not.

Explain how the display of M.I.S.S.I.N.G is an example of long-term justice.