Where on one hand we are talking about feminism and women empowerment, here is a case I cam across that has gotten me terribly upset. A 17-year-old girl in Jharkhand’s Dumka district allegedly committed suicide as she was unable to bear the embarrassment of defecating in the open. Deccan Chronicle reported that her parents had turned down her multiple requests to construct a toilet at their home as they were saving money for her wedding.
Her mother said, “my daughter told me that I go have to travel so far for a toilet in this heat, so construct a toilet first.” She also said that the family was reeling under acute poverty and marriage was their first priority.
Meanwhile, a senior Congress leader took to Twitter to express his shock over the incident. He tweeted, “A girl in Jharkhand committed suicide as her parents refused to build toilet! India as a Nation must wake up and build toilets on priority.”
What a shame! How is a marriage the top most priority for a girl as young as 17? If the empowerment really needs to happen, it has to start from here.
News information and image sourced from Deccan Chronicle
