From: cutchin@cs.purdue.edu (Steve Cutchin)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: "Our Daughters Must Die" - Infanticide in India
Date: 14 Sep 1992 04:52:42 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Department of Computer Sciences
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: remarque.berkeley.edu
Originator: muffy@remarque.berkeley.edu

In article <18nnf2INNchg@agate.berkeley.edu>, dbailey@cix.clink.co.uk (Diane Bailey) writes:
|> Although grateful for any responses on this subject I have to
|> take issue with the first two.
|> 

|> >Change can only come from within, not from without.
|> 
|> Again I must disagree.  Apart from the USA, which has pretty much
|> insulated itelf from overseas pressure, I think many social
      Just exactly why is the USA the notable exception to this rule that
      change must come from the outside?  This appears to me to be another
      example of "You must do this but I don't have to because I'm the
      exception."  Despite what the US likes to say about itself it
      does not have all that much control over India.

      Diane, don't take this the wrong way.  I am encouraging you to
      discuss this issue I just think that you need to study India
      some more,  there are many, many myriads of complex reasons for
      what goes on in India.  I make no claims to be any kind of expert
      about society and culture in India but after having discussed the
      issue with friends from India, one who is a staunch feminist it is
      apparent to me that the issue is much more complex than it has been
      portrayed within these postings.

|> 
|> Now, here is a practical and positive question.  Does anyone know
|> anything of the laws against dowries and why they have not been
|> effective?

    What is considered to be one of the major stumbling blocks to equal rights
    for women within India is the lack of a common civil code.  While
    there is a common criminal code there is no common civil code.  Plus
    within the constitution there is the Freedom of Religion clause.  The
    way this clause is used in India makes the US look like a church state.
    
    Almost any law that would attempt to give more equality is fought on
    Religious grounds.  The practice of Sati(sp) was defended on the grounds
    of freedom of religion.  Sati is when a widow is placed upon the
    burning bier with her dead husband.  This practice was outlawed finally.
    
    Divorce laws which are very beneficial to the male and incredibly useless
    to women are defended upon religous grounds.  Basically I think they boil
    down to that old standard of "Men fool around, ok.  Women fool around,   
    bad!".

    There is a Christian Civil Code, a Hindu Civil Code, and a Muslim Civil 
    Code.  Probably a lot more I don't know about.

    A supreme court justice ruled that it was ok to imprison prostitutes (women)
    because they did not provide a benefit to society.  However since there
    clients where the breadwinners of the family and to imprison them would 
    cause society to be harmed they should not be imprisoned.

    There is an excellent book describing the problems with having a multiple
    civil code system.  It provides a much better explanation of the ills of
    multiple civil codes than I ever could. If anyone wants the reference 
    send me e-mail.

    As for the laws against dowries and why they are ineffective.  I ask one
    simple question: How are you going to prosecute?  Dowrie, no there was no
    Dowrie I just gave the other family a gift of half my net-worth.  No, it
    had nothing to do with the wedding.  Rather a bit dificult to stop huh?

    India is a complex and fascinating country.  While it does share some
    commonality with the feminist movement here in the US it has its own
    unique problems.

---
Steve C.


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