kalau saya baca freakonomics-nya lerner dan levinson, kebijakan melegalkan aborsi di amerika justeru berperan positif menurunkan angka kriminalitas di kota-kota besar di sana. padahal tadinya mereka khawatir, kota-kota itu akan dipenuhi penjahat. data-datanya luar biasa.
penjelasannya sederhana. pelaku kriminalitas dulunya adalah anak-anak yang tak terurus, karena orang tuanya miskin. atau kehamilan itu tak diinginkan karena ibunya korban perkosaan atau si laki-laki tak bertanggungjawab. dengan melegalkan aborsi, kelahiran anak-anak yang berpotensi tak terurus atau kurang mendapat kasih sayang orang tua bisa dikurangi. sehingga lebih banyak anak-anak yang dikehendaki saja yang hadir di tengah masyarakat, dan bisa membuat sistem sosial lebih sehat. di india mungkin perlu dibuat kebijakan yang membuat perempuan disukai dan dihormati. di anak benua india itu, sudah ribuan tahun perempuan memang cuma dianggap separuh manusia. tak peduli agama orang tuanya hindu atau islam. di bangladesh, prof yunus mencoba mendobrak tradisi itu dengan menguatkan ekonomi kaum perempuan lewat grameen bank. dengan berdaya, perempuan bisa bicara. At 10:12 AM 9/1/2007 +0000, you wrote: >Terkejut juga saya membaca artikel mengenai trend >sosial dalam masyarakat di India yang lebih mirip >cerita wayang dalam Mahabharata ... > >Trend demorafi yang sudah umum kita dengar adalah >kecenderungan menurunnya angka kelahiran, karena >masyarakat 'modern' di mana-mana makin cenderung >tidak ingin di'repot'kan dengan anak. Trend demografi >lain yang juga jamak adalah biasanya usia harapan >hidup wanita lebih tinggi dibanding pria. > >Soal 'gender preferensi', bahwa pasangan yang baru >menikah umumnya mengharapkan anak pertamanya ber >gender laki-laki juga sudah merupakan hal yang >lumrah - tapi itu tidak sampai mengakibatkan >'penolakan' terhadap lahirnya bayi perempuan. > >Praktek aborsi, karena suatu kelahiran yang tidak >di-inginkan terjadi di berbagai negara. Tetapi >praktek aborsi yang motifnya karena tidak ingin >punya anak perempuan - sebagai suatu 'trend' - >rasanya baru saya dengar terjadi di India, >berdasarkan kajian dari PBB, menurut berita >di bawah ini. > >Praktek tsb. dikhawatirkan akan menimbulkan >ketimpangan komposisi demografi: jumlah wanita >lebih sedikit dibanding jumlah pria ==> "demand" >terhadap wanita akan naik. Tapi berbeda dengan >*-komoditi-*, kurangnya supply wanita tidak >akan menyebabkan "harga wanita" menjadi naik, >tetapi malah bisa menimbulkan tindak kekerasan >terhadap mereka ... > >Hal lain yang juga dikhawatirkan adalah terjadinya >praktek 'poliandri' alias 'berbagi isteri'. Jadi >apakah memang kisah *-berbagi isteri-* antara sesama >saudara yang ada di dalam cerita wayang/Mahabharata >itu memang dilatar belakangi budaya yang memang >benar-benar ada di India? > >---( IM )------------ > >-------------------------------------------------- >Rise in India's female feticide may spark crisis >-------------------------------------------------- > >By Nita Bhalla >Fri Aug 31, 2:17 AM ET > > >NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Increasing female feticide in >India could spark a demographic crisis where fewer >women in society will result in a rise in sexual >violence and child abuse as well as wife-sharing, >the United Nations warned. > >Despite laws banning tests to determine the sex of >an unborn child, the killing of female fetuses is >common in some regions of India where a preference >for sons runs deep. > >As a result, the United Nations says an estimated >2,000 unborn girls are illegally aborted every day >in India. > >This has led to skewed sex ratios in regions like >Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh as >well as the capital, New Delhi, where a census in >2001 showed there are less than 800 girls for every >1,000 boys. > >"The 2001 census was a wake-up call for all of us >and much public awareness have been created on female >feticide since then," Ena Singh, assistant representative >for the United Nations Population Fund in India told >Reuters. > >"But initial figures show sex ratios are still declining >as female feticide is becoming more widespread across the >country and it is likely to be worse in the next census in >2011." > >In most parts of India, sons are viewed as breadwinners >who will look after their parents and carry on the family >name, but daughters are viewed as financial liabilities >for whom they will have to pay substantial dowries to get >married off. > >DEMOGRAPHIC CRISIS? > >Activists say female feticide is rising because of the >availability of technologies like ultrasonography and >amniocentesis to determine the gender of fetuses at the >request of the parents. > >If the fetus is found to be a girl, it is aborted. > >As a result, the government says around 10 million >girls have been killed by their parents -- either >before or immediately after birth -- over the past >20 years. > >Experts warn that fewer women will spark a demographic >crisis in many parts of country. > >"There already is this phenomenon all over the country >where there is a lot of sexual violence and abuse against >women and children across the country," said Ranjana >Kumari, director of the Centre for Social Research, a >New Delhi based think-tank. > >"But when there are less women in the population and more >men of the same age group, there is certainly going to be >much more demand for women for marriage, for sex and this >pressure will certainly increase violence against women." > >Experts say practices such as polyandry -- where several >men, often brothers, share the same wife are already >emerging in areas where there are fewer women. > >Brides are also now being sold and trafficked by their >parents to areas like Haryana and Punjab where bachelors >are being forced to look beyond their own culture, caste >and social grouping to find a wife. > >Activists say these women have to adapt to an alien culture >with a different language, diet, and social norms and are >often treated as second-class citizens by the community who >view their value based on their ability to produce male off- >spring. > >"There is this myth that fewer women will give them better >status in society but this is a fallacy," said activist Sabu >George. > >"Women in India are already being treated as commodities >to be bought and sold and their plight will worsen as sex >ratios continue to decline." > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
