A filmmaker's personal journey to understand and shed light on the origins and the enormity of the war against Indian women.
"Petals in the Dust: The Endangered Indian Girls" is a filmmaker's personal journey to understand and shed light on the origins and the enormity of the war against Indian women.
The film examines the condition of an endangered class of people living in one of the most populous, culturally and economic vibrant countries: modern India. They come from all walks of life and share only one common trait: they are female.
A patriarchal mindset, a preference for sons and a deep-seated intolerance has led to the murder of 50 million girls and women in India in the last century. They continue to lose their lives in this century to infanticide, sex-selective abortions, starvation and medical neglect, dowry deaths and brutal gang rapes.
The declining female population is also leading to increased crimes against women including trafficking and bride buying. By 2020 there will be 20 percent more men than women in India.
The film explores the cultural origins of this vast genocidal crime and includes the voices of activists and gender experts as well survivors of these gender crimes who have struggled to build meaningful lives.
By bringing this issue out into the open, the filmmakers hope to light the spark of resistance to this culture of gender violence and extermination, mobilize the Indian and International communities into getting involved in ending this "gendercide" and to encourage a new generation of Indian citizens to value, and respect their daughters, wives and the women in the community.
