The objective of this assessment is to identify a social problem in the international context, determine the people affected, possible causes of the problem and who may benefit. After the assessment of the problem, a plan for advocacy can be designed to address the issue. As an international social worker, working for a non-government agency, my organization would address female infanticide, specifically in India. Infanticide and feticide encompasses the murder of newborn children or sex selective abortion. Female infanticide and feticide is a common practice in India that has been happening for centuries. It is heavily imbedded in their traditions and culture (Davis, "It 's a girl", 2012). However, the gender ratio has continued to become increasingly skewed, which means that there are many more men than women. According to the United Nations there are over 200 million girls missing in the world today, a significant amount of these missing girls are from India (Davis, "It 's a girl", 2012). In 2012, the consensus statistics for India revealed that for every 1,000 males there are only 914 females aged six and below (Poddar, 2013). Female infanticide is committed often by strangulation or poisoning. Female children who are not aborted or murdered during infancy are typically neglected and/or abused. A majority of female children do not live up to the age of 18, typically due to lack of medical attention and proper nutrition (Davis, "It 's a girl", 2012). In order to target the problem it must be thoroughly defined.
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A root cause analysis would be utilized to assist in identifying What, Why and how, female infanticide occurs in India. The root cause analysis technique encompasses asking Five Why’s (D. Riley, personal communication, November 20, 2014). Asking the Five Why’s is important to get to the root of the problem. Why does female infanticide occur in India? Female infanticide occurs in India because female children are perceived as financial burdens. Why are female children perceived as burdens? Female children are viewed as financial burdens, because women require dowries for marriage. Why do women require dowries for marriage? Women require a dowry to get married, because it is ingrained in Indian culture. Why are dowries a part of Indian culture? Dowries are imbedded in Indian culture, because women are not thought to be valuable, in exception of giving birth and doing housework. Why are women not perceived as valuable? Women are not perceived has being valuable members of society because they are typically not educated and usually do not provide a source of income. The concept and tradition of dowries is a major root cause for the continued practice of female infanticide. In Indian culture, it is customary for the bride’s family to offer a certain amount of money, or valuable goods to the groom and his family. The dowry solidifies the exchange of the bride into the groom’s family. It is crucial to note that dowries have been illegal in India since 1961 (Poddar, 2013). However, due to lack of government enforcement, dowries continue to be a dominant tradition in India. Another root cause of female infanticide is women’s low social status. In India, women are thought to be an economic burden to their family, whose sole purpose is to birth male children and perform housework such as childcare, cooking and cleaning. Men are viewed as assets to their family as they are considered heads of the household; they can continue the family legacy, inherit property and can bring profitable income to their family (Davis, "It 's a girl", 2012). The perception of women in India affects their access and ability to gain an education, obtain a job, and provide for their families. Families are typically unwilling to invest in their female children because of the cost of dowries, and because of women’s perceived lack of …show more content…
These principles include starting where the agency is, using leverage knowledge and expertise of staff and constituents, working in coalitions and only practicing advocacy in the agency’s area of expertise (Donaldson, 2008). In developing an advocacy program, it is recommended that there be an evaluation of the agency’s knowledge of the problem and how the members of the organization perceive the problem. A data collection technique can be used to gauge where the agency is by administering a written questionnaire, survey or by conducting interviews, this would also encourage the participation of all members of the
A root cause analysis would be utilized to assist in identifying What, Why and how, female infanticide occurs in India. The root cause analysis technique encompasses asking Five Why’s (D. Riley, personal communication, November 20, 2014). Asking the Five Why’s is important to get to the root of the problem. Why does female infanticide occur in India? Female infanticide occurs in India because female children are perceived as financial burdens. Why are female children perceived as burdens? Female children are viewed as financial burdens, because women require dowries for marriage. Why do women require dowries for marriage? Women require a dowry to get married, because it is ingrained in Indian culture. Why are dowries a part of Indian culture? Dowries are imbedded in Indian culture, because women are not thought to be valuable, in exception of giving birth and doing housework. Why are women not perceived as valuable? Women are not perceived has being valuable members of society because they are typically not educated and usually do not provide a source of income. The concept and tradition of dowries is a major root cause for the continued practice of female infanticide. In Indian culture, it is customary for the bride’s family to offer a certain amount of money, or valuable goods to the groom and his family. The dowry solidifies the exchange of the bride into the groom’s family. It is crucial to note that dowries have been illegal in India since 1961 (Poddar, 2013). However, due to lack of government enforcement, dowries continue to be a dominant tradition in India. Another root cause of female infanticide is women’s low social status. In India, women are thought to be an economic burden to their family, whose sole purpose is to birth male children and perform housework such as childcare, cooking and cleaning. Men are viewed as assets to their family as they are considered heads of the household; they can continue the family legacy, inherit property and can bring profitable income to their family (Davis, "It 's a girl", 2012). The perception of women in India affects their access and ability to gain an education, obtain a job, and provide for their families. Families are typically unwilling to invest in their female children because of the cost of dowries, and because of women’s perceived lack of …show more content…
These principles include starting where the agency is, using leverage knowledge and expertise of staff and constituents, working in coalitions and only practicing advocacy in the agency’s area of expertise (Donaldson, 2008). In developing an advocacy program, it is recommended that there be an evaluation of the agency’s knowledge of the problem and how the members of the organization perceive the problem. A data collection technique can be used to gauge where the agency is by administering a written questionnaire, survey or by conducting interviews, this would also encourage the participation of all members of the