Campaigning against sex-selection in India
Witness History2 Nov 2022

Campaigning against sex-selection in India

Over the last 50 years an estimated 46 million girls have been aborted in India.

The cultural preference for boys and the development of pre-natal sex determination tests like ultrasound in the 1980s, meant an increase in the number of girls being aborted.

Activist Manisha Gupte describes how she campaigned, as part of the feminist movement, against sex-selective abortion - including the use of sit-ins and rallies - eventually raising enough awareness to bring about a national law in 1994 - the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act.

The legislation has had limited effect in a complex society with entrenched male preference and poverty.

Manisha has been speaking to Josephine McDermott.

(Photo: Campaigners rally against fetal sex selection in Mumbai in the 1980s. Credit: Dr Vibhuti Patel)

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(2000)

Bayeux Tapestry: the lost Nazi archive

Bayeux Tapestry: the lost Nazi archive

In 1994, documents from a Nazi study of the Bayeux Tapestry were rediscovered after more than 50 years. Former curator of the tapestry, Sylvette Lemagnen, tells Helen Ledwick how the missing archive w...

9 Sep 10min

The 'moving' statue of Ballinspittle

The 'moving' statue of Ballinspittle

In 1985, reports of a moving statue of the Virgin Mary drew thousands of people to the village of Ballinspittle in County Cork, Ireland. Helen Ledwick speaks to Ita Dungan, who travelled there as a te...

8 Sep 10min

Surviving the Long March

Surviving the Long March

In 1935, tens of thousands who had followed Mao Zedong on the Long March across China struggled to survive. They were fleeing Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist forces during the country's civil war.Zhong ...

7 Sep 9min

Star Trek: America's first interracial TV kiss

Star Trek: America's first interracial TV kiss

In 1968, American television boldly went where it had never gone before, broadcasting what's claimed to be the country's first interracial kiss in a TV programme. The moment of passion was between Cap...

4 Sep 10min

The making of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

The making of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

In 1982, audiences around the world fell in love with a gentle alien stranded on Earth and the young boy determined to help him get home. Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial became a global ...

3 Sep 10min

‘Genius’ sci-fi writer Octavia E Butler

‘Genius’ sci-fi writer Octavia E Butler

In 1995, Octavia E Butler became the first author to receive a MacArthur “genius” award for science fiction writing.From a young age she dreamed of writing books, but faced many challenges, including ...

2 Sep 10min

Making Turkish Star Wars

Making Turkish Star Wars

When the set fell apart for an ambitious cinematic space opera that was produced on a characteristically small Turkish budget, nationally famed director Çetin İnanç had to think fast to save his film....

1 Sep 10min

How the Star Wars toys were created

How the Star Wars toys were created

In 1976, American toy designer Jim Swearingen was working at Kenner, a mid-sized company in the American Midwest.When a script for a new film called Star Wars landed on his desk, Jim was intrigued. La...

31 Aug 10min

Populært innen Samfunn

rss-spartsklubben
giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
konspirasjonspodden
alt-fortalt
aftenpodden-usa
rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
popradet
rss-henlagt-andy-larsgaard
wolfgang-wee-uncut
rss-espen-lee-usensurert
grenselos
min-barneoppdragelse
synnve-og-vanessa
frokostshowet-pa-p5
krisemoter
rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
opptur-med-annette-og-ingeborg
rss-herrepanelet
198-land-med-einar-trnquist