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| FILE - Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi, the prime ministerial candidate for India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), takes a "selfie" with a mobile phone after casting his vote at a polling station during the seventh phase of India's general |
The Indian leader used a radio broadcast last Sunday to urge people topublish photographs taken with their daughters on social media. He expressedhope that this could revolutionize the movement to save the country's girls.Within hours of his speech, thousands of people had tweeted the photos,known as selfies, with the hashtag #SelfiewithDaughter.
Sexual inequality has long been a major problem in India’s highly patriarchalsociety. For years, Indian families have wanted boys more than girls. In India,many girls are considered inferior to boys. Some are even killed before theyare born or as newborns because they are thought to be less desirable. Forevery 1,000 boys up to the age of six years, India has 914 girls.
It was not just fathers in India who answered Mr. Modi's call. Fathers incountries as far away as Sweden also posted pictures with daughters.
The prime minister said he got the idea for the campaign from Sunil Jaglan, avillage leader in the northern state of Haryana. Haryana state has the country'sworst gender inequality.
Sunil Jaglan launched a “Selfie with Daughter” competition last month. Hebegan by posting a photo with his three and one-half year old daughter. Duringa recent visit to his village, Mr. Jaglan told VOA that his efforts resulted fromhis daughter’s birth in 2012.
He says it all started when he passed out sweets to celebrate the arrival of hisnewborn daughter. He says his classmates and others thought at first he had a son. They could not believe that someone would give out sweets at the birthof a girl.
Sunil Jaglan wanted to express his thanks to the health care workers whohelped the girl and her mother during childbirth. He says he offered theworkers a nice tip as a way of saying thanks. But they refused the money,saying a girl's birth was not worth the same tip as a boy.
Mr. Jaglan is now the father of two daughters. He says he did not want them togrow up in such an environment. His efforts in the village of Bibipur haveproduced results: the number of girls to boys there is improving as thecenturies-old customs begin to change.
Prime Minister Modi said a new hope is born by a campaign like the one inBibipur, more so because it has begun in an area where the problem is mostserious.
Mr. Modi said the government's campaign gets added strength when it isaccepted by an individual, by society or by a village.
Social activists hope this campaign will not just be another public relationseffort, but will support India's push to give its daughters the same positions as it sons.
I’m Marsha James.
Anjana Pasricha reported this story from New Delhi. Marsha James adaptedit for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
selfie – informal n. a photograph of oneself shared on social media
patriarchal–adj. controlled by a man or men
inferior - adj. lower in quality
gender– n. sex; the state of being male or female
