Filmmaker Eric Maierson
Run Time 20 Minutes
India is a diverse country, separated by class and ethnicity. But all women confront the cultural pressure to bear a son. This preference cuts through every
social divide, from geography to economy.
This preference originates from the belief that men make money while women, because of their expensive dowry costs, are a financial burden. As a result,
there is a near constant disregard for the lives of women and girls. From birth until old age, women face a constant threat of violence and too frequently,
death.
The numbers are staggering. Since 1980, an estimated 40 million women are 'missing,' by way of abortion, neglect or murder. 7,000 female fetuses are aborted
every day according to the U.N., aborted solely because they are girls. One dowry death is reported every 77 minutes. Countless others are never known.
The government has tried to intervene. Dowry and sex selective abortions are illegal. Yet both practices still thrive, in large part because of deep-rooted
cultural prejudices.
Today, eighty percent of Indian states are now facing a shortage of women. To compensate for this differential, young, unknowing women are bought from
surrounding countries like Bangladesh and sold to young bachelors. Not knowing a word of the language, these trafficked women now face the same kinds of violence
as other Indian women.
