Shuriah Niazi, Author at Toward Freedom

Female Feticide, Infanticide on the Rise in India

Shuriah Niazi June 12, 2008 Shuriah Niazi

Child Development Minister, Renuka Chowdhury

The Chambal region of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh was notorious for its dacoits, or armed robbers. Now, the cause for terror is the low sex ratio in this area of the state. This threat can be traced to the falling sex ratio of the region. While the national average of women per 1,000 men is 933, and the state's figure is 920, the Chambal region shockingly has only 400 women per 1,000 men in some villages. The main reason for the grim sex ratio is the practice of female infanticide and female feticide.

India: Survivors of Bhopal Gas Tragedy March to Demand Justice

Shuriah Niazi March 11, 2008 Shuriah Niazi

Photo from Bhopal.net

On February 20th, more than a hundred survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy and their supporters began an 800 kilometers walk from Bhopal to New Delhi to remind the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of the promises he did not keep.

India: Trafficking of Girls on the Rise

Shuriah Niazi February 19, 2008 Shuriah Niazi

Kanta is a distraught mother. A year ago, poverty compelled her to send her 14-year-old daughter from the safety of their home in Madhya Pradesh's (Central Indian State) Mandla district to Delhi, where the teenager was to work as a domestic aid. Several months down the line, Kanta still has no news of her daughter. Repeated visits to the neighbor, who had arranged for her daughter's placement, have been met with snubs and no information. Despite the fact that Kanta wants to travel to Delhi and make her own inquiries, she can't for want of money.