Sakuntala Narasimhan, Author at ihtbd

Fetal Sex Testing Won't Fix India's Daughter Shortage

By Sakuntala Narasimhan ● Uncategorized ● March 21, 2016

Female feticide may be illegal in India but old structures of patriarchy combine with medical technologies to keep it going. We need basic awareness campaigns, not government mandates that will first invade a woman's privacy and then backfire.

In India, Schoolgirls Look Forward to Self-Defense Classes

By Veda M. & Sakuntala Narasimhan ● Crime & Law ● February 15, 2016

One girl says the self-defense training makes her feel more able to “escape an attacker.” Other girls like the training, but think boys also need to be taught to treat girls with more respect.

Hindu Weddings Add Pro-Girl Anti-Feticide Vow

By Sakuntala Narasimhan ● Arts & Culture ● October 10, 2014

This cultural innovation is part of why 2014 will go down in Indian history as a year when society began cherishing girls and women and overcoming denigrating traditions. Reason to celebrate the U.N.'s International Day of the Girl Child on Oct. 11.

India Law Fails Acid Test; Attacks Continue

By Sakuntala Narasimhan ● Crime & Law ● November 5, 2013

The Supreme Court said stores must restrict sales of acid used to maim at least 1,000 women a year, but that deadline was just blown. Most names and identifying details in this article have been changed to protect the privacy of the victims.

When Indian Widows Get a Break, All Women Benefit

By Sakuntala Narasimhan ● Uncategorized ● October 10, 2013

The idea of any Indian women-much less “inauspicious” widows-officiating as priests was unthinkable till two decades ago. Now that two widows have done just that it might help us confront a continuum of sex bias.

2014 Elections in India Set Bait for Women's Vote

By Sakuntala Narasimhan ● Uncategorized ● September 9, 2013

A brand-new grain subsidy ration card that requires women be listed as head of the household is one boon. One beleaguered woman said the food security it brings her could be a means of escaping an abusive husband.

From India, a Western Abortion Law Looks Deadly

By Sakuntala Narasimhan ● Uncategorized ● December 2, 2012

The high mortality rates of pregnant women in India are a big topic of policy concern. But what about Ireland? An Indian woman just lost her life there because of that country's criminalization of abortion. At home her life would have been saved.

Sakuntala Narasimhan

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