Help End Gendercide in India with the Invisible Girl Project

by HULA on Aug 28, 2020

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Image courtesy of Jill McElya (@IGPJill) | Twitter[/caption]

Being born in the 21st century, as imperfect as today's society is, you wouldn't expect to be not given a chance in life just because of your gender but somewhere in the world, being born a baby girl could mean instant death. Somewhere in the world, mothers may be forced to abort their unborn baby girls just because they are females. Somewhere in the world, 50 million girls and women are missing from the population. And that somewhere is India.

Today, in India, girls and women are still grossly discriminated against, and the consequences are often fatal. It is estimated that 700,000 girls are aborted each year and that means one girl is being aborted each minute. The systematic mass murder of girls has unequivocally led to a skewed gender balance in India, resulting in forced marriages and equally dangerous sex trafficking. To give an alarming figure, there are about 37 million more men than women in India. In some cases, young girls are forced into prostitution where they are made to service sometimes up to 20 men a day in dirty brothels, far from home. Those young girls, often children, who have become brides face devastatingly high mortality rates, not to mention that they are also forced out of education if they had any, to begin with.

Jill McElya, a former attorney in the US, had worked in India from 2008-9 as a human rights activist and decided to set up the Invisible Girl Project (the IGP) in 2011 when she came back with her newfound knowledge of the unthinkable discriminations against females in India. Wanting to see a real positive change in the Indian culture itself, the IGP works with local organisations and increases their capacity to change the culture from within. Taking a holistic approach, the IGP helps save girls from being abandoned, take care of pregnant women, provide education to all rescued girls and local families -- teaching them their inherent value, giving microfinance loans; in the hopes of putting women in the positions of power and initiating a thought shift for the culture.

As a business about sustainability and making positive changes, HULA wants to contribute to the betterment of not only local communities but also the welfare of the global communities where help is needed. Partnering with SALONI, a brand inspired by the rich and historical Indian culture, together we want to help spread awareness of the war of baby girls in India and educate our audiences, who we believe are amongst some of the most compassionate about the planet and the people living on it, about the consequences of gendercide on the other side of the globe with the IGP. Every HULAxSALONI Sample Sale piece we sold, 5% will be going to the IGP.