As Indian elections near, why are 21 million women in India apparently being denied the right to vote?
India was one of the first post-colonial nation to allow women to vote. They have got this right since India’s independence. But 21 million women are not allowed to vote...
More than 20 million missing women, analysts say, translates into 38,000 missing women voters on average in every constituency in India.
In places like Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous and a key bellwether state, the figure swells to 80,000 missing women in every seat. The missing women could swing the results in many seats.
Last year, a government report found that 63 million women had been 'lost' f because the preference for sons led to sex-selective abortions and better care was given to boys. Indians still cherish the notion that a boy is better than a girl, and as a consequence the Indian female population is likely to decline sharply.
So why are so many women still missing from the rolls? There are many answers to this question: maybe because women's family refuse to give pictures to states and so prevent women’s vote? Maybe because some parents do not register their daughter to avoid revealing her age, because they feel it will hurt their prospects for marriage. An Indian doctor believes there's only one way out, to let women vote even if they are not registered. "Any woman who comes to a polling station and wants to cast her vote, and can prove she is 18 years old, must be allowed to vote," he says.
India was one of the first post-colonial nation to allow women to vote. They have got this right since India’s independence. But 21 million women are not allowed to vote...
More than 20 million missing women, analysts say, translates into 38,000 missing women voters on average in every constituency in India.
In places like Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous and a key bellwether state, the figure swells to 80,000 missing women in every seat. The missing women could swing the results in many seats.
Last year, a government report found that 63 million women had been 'lost' f because the preference for sons led to sex-selective abortions and better care was given to boys. Indians still cherish the notion that a boy is better than a girl, and as a consequence the Indian female population is likely to decline sharply.
So why are so many women still missing from the rolls? There are many answers to this question: maybe because women's family refuse to give pictures to states and so prevent women’s vote? Maybe because some parents do not register their daughter to avoid revealing her age, because they feel it will hurt their prospects for marriage. An Indian doctor believes there's only one way out, to let women vote even if they are not registered. "Any woman who comes to a polling station and wants to cast her vote, and can prove she is 18 years old, must be allowed to vote," he says.
21 millions de disparue
Alors que les élections indiennes approchent, pourquoi 21 millions de femmes se voient-elles apparemment refuser le droit de vote ?
L'Inde a été l'un des premiers pays décolonisés à autoriser les femmes à voter. Elles ont obtenu ce droit dès l'indépendance de l'Inde. Mais 21 millions de femmes ne sont pas autorisées à voter...
Selon les analystes, plus de 20 millions de femmes ne figurent pas sur les listes électorales.
Cela représente 38.000 électrices disparues dans chaque circonscription indienne. Dans des endroits comme l'Uttar Pradesh, un des états les plus peuplés, le nombre de femmes portées disparues se chiffre à 80.000 par circonscription. Ces ‘absentes’ pourraient faire pencher la balance dans de nombreux cas.
L'année dernière, un rapport gouvernemental a révélé que 63 millions de femmes avaient disparu de la population indienne en raison de leur préférence pour l'avortement sélectif en fonction du sexe et que davantage de soins étaient réservés aux garçons. On persiste à croire qu’avoir un fils est plus bénéfique qu'une fille et la population féminine indienne risque de fortement diminuer.
Alors, pourquoi tant de femmes sont-elles toujours absentes ? Il y a beaucoup de réponses à cette question : peut-être à cause des familles qui refusent de donner des photos à l'état pour les inscrire ? Peut-être qu'ils n'enregistrent pas leur fille parce qu'ils ne veulent pas révéler leur âge, et qu'ils craignent que cela finisse par nuire à leurs perspectives de mariage ? Un médecin indien pense qu’il n’y a qu’une issue, c'est de laisser les femmes voter même si elles ne sont pas enregistrées. « Toute femme qui se présente dans un bureau de vote et peut prouver qu'elle a 18 ans, doit être autorisée à voter. »
Gaspard
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-47521208
