In Delhi, India’s capital city, a campaign against women aborting their female babies was launched to increase awareness of its effects on society. According to the 2001 census, there are an estimated 814 women per 1,000 men in Delhi.
“The problem [aborting female babies] has assumed monstrous proportions in most of the northern states,” said a government official, “and is not only a blot on civilized society, but also a crime.”
The campaign, Laadli (Darling Daughter), seeks to take action against “ultrasound clinics and other diagnostic centers conducting gender-based pregnancy tests.” But the real root of India’s falling female ratio is the deeply ingrained cultural disdain of women. In an issue of SEND! magazine, Gospel for Asia outlined the life of an Asian woman:
There is no rejoicing on the day you are born. To your parents’ and relatives’ deep disappointment, you are a girl … if you survive the first few days of your life, you should consider yourself fortunate already. Out of 1,250 women recently polled in the state of Tamil Nadu, more than half had killed baby daughters … but cruelty is not a mother’s motive. She may actually believe that this is the wiser, more compassionate choice—rather than raise you and condemn you to life as a woman.
The greatest challenge for a woman in Asia today is to simply survive through a normal lifespan. Even before birth, a burden of oppression follows her until death.
Facing threats of prostitution trafficking, disease and neglect, a girl is considered a burden even to her own family—at the time of marriage especially, as her family is required to pay the groom a large dowry.
In recent years, with ultrasound technology, many women have chosen abortion rather than bear a “worthless” girl child. A report by the Indian Medical Association says that every year, 5 million girl babies are aborted—most rampantly among the educated, urban areas of society.
Yet each Asian woman is precious in the sight of God, and He offers the hope that will fulfill their longings. Gospel for Asia women’s teams minister specifically to other women and are culturally much more effective among them than men’s teams. GFA literature produces family packets with biblical lessons for godly homes. And there are special girls’ Bible colleges to train these women in God’s Word.
When young women graduate from GFA Bible colleges and begin ministry among unreached women on their new mission fields, they come full circle. Once themselves trapped by violence and discrimination, they now have a message of life and freedom for women in similar circumstances. Whether a pastor’s or missionary’s wife or a single missionary in a team, these ladies work tirelessly to bring the Gospel to the lost.