50 million women are missing

Some of you might be familiar with the online photo gallery Flickr. Rita Banerji wants to raise awareness of female feticide/infanticide in India. She asks everyone to upload photos of Indian women and girls to represent the 50 million (and growing). This is her statement:

"About 50 million women are currently missing from India's population. Through rampant feticide, infanticide, and the murder of young women by their husbands and inlaws for dowry, India has managed to invert its population ratio from 10:9, women to men, as is normal for any population, to 9:10. Furthermore, India has even warped the gender ratio for 1/5 of the entire human population.

It is the intention of this website to have every one of the 50 million missing represented by a photograph. These can be of Indian women or girls, of any age, and community represented as portraits or shown as engaged in various activities -- which is life. It would help very much if there is a small personal commentary with the photo about the girl or woman so we can invert the process of dehumanizing Indian women. This is India's silent genocide -- and it is time for it to stop.

I am hoping that at some point those of us who are able to will be able to collectively either put out a book or starting a touring exhibition -- so bring this matter to head.

But in the meantime please contribute a poster, a photo or a comment to show your support for this campaign. If not, then JUST YOUR MEMBERSHIP is a voice against this silent genocide. SO PLEASE JOIN ANYWAY."

There are now about 400 photos, including five of mine. I will be uploading all of mine that have Indian women. Other photos include those of my gal pal in India, sirensongs (see her blog in the links).

Those of you who have listened to me blab on incessantly about India ("will she ever shut up? she's doing that head thing again.") know how much I love the country and how I can't wait to get back. But female feticide/infanticide is a grim truth -- India is not all about yoga and incense and spirituality.

Please click on the above link, look into the eyes of these women, and post a comment to show your support of this effort.

may all beings have happiness, and the causes of happiness
may all beings be free from suffering, and the causes of suffering...

namaste