1,267,401,849. That’s the number of people who live within the borders of India—a country one-third of the size of the US with more than four times the population. By 2030, India is expected to become the largest country by population in the world, overtaking China. By 2050, the population is estimated to reach 1,620,050,849—a massive number to feed, house, educate and employ.

These are numbers that the India government is desperately trying to avoid. Thus far, the main method of population control has been mass sterilization. In 1973, then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency in response to mass riots in Delhi over high inflation, poor standards of living, and corruption. Disillusioned with the government, Indians called for her resignation. In order to relieve the welfare burden on national institutions, Gandhi enacted a drastic measure: the forced mass sterilization of more than six million people. The victims were mostly men, since vasectomies were much less expensive and easier to preform than the tubal ligations required for women. The coercion came in many forms, including banning unsterilized people from working government jobs, withholding water from irrigation projects until village quotas were met, and retaining teacher’s salaries until they underwent sterilization surgery. The campaign ended in March 1977 when deadly anti-sterilization protests broke out in the northern states. Though the current sterilization program is less draconian than that under Gandhi, Modi’s government still uses this method of family planning to control its ever-expanding population.

The National Family Health Survey for 2005-2006 showed that 37.3% of women in India have under gone female sterilization, largely because of monetary incentives from the government. The sterilization is usually a tubectomy, a procedure in which the fallopian tubes are surgically tied together. In the US, this procedure is done with minimally invasive techniques, usually takes 25-30 minutes and requires a day of bed rest. In India, the surgeries are often done in under five minutes, where doctors are expected to perform hundreds per day. The women are usually only allowed to rest for an hour before being sent back to their homes, a journey that can take hours on badly paved roads. These unhygienic and dangerous conditions are the reason why the mass sterilization of Indian women has come to the attention of the Western world.

In November of 2014, 15 women died after undergoing tubectomies at a “sterilization camp” in the district of Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh. Improper medication was cited as the official cause of death, but the surgeon at the camp admitted to performing 83 surgeries in six hours, calling into question the cleanliness and accuracy of the surgery, as well as whether state governments were once again imposing quotas on their doctors. Their deaths also brought to light the gender and class issues that have accompanied the policy of population control. Only 1% of men in India undergo vasectomies today, a cheaper and far less invasive surgery. The National Population Policy 2000 stated: “The active involvement of men is called for in planning families, supporting contraceptive use…further, currently, over 97 percent of sterilizations are tubectomies and this manifestation of gender imbalance needs to be corrected.” While the language of this policy seems promising and at the very least aware of the gender imbalance of sterilization practices, in reality there has been little reform.

The incentives provided by the state for women to undergo the surgery also call into question the ethics of the policy. Women are paid roughly 1,400 rupees (about $23 USD) for the surgery. Since most patients are from rural farming communities, this sum can be equivalent to a month’s income. Some women are compensated with pots and pans, or even food, an enticing offer in a country where 21% of the population is undernourished. Condom use in India is barely 6% and mostly in urban areas because their use is seen as only a habit of prostitutes and those with sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

While the idea of sterilization might seem extreme to those in the US, about 36% of American women undergo the surgery, a number remarkably similar to that of Indian women. According to a 2008 study, “About 700,000 female sterilizations are performed annually [in the US], half of which are performed within 48 hours post-partum. Sterilization is performed following 10% of all births. Approximately 345,000 female sterilizations are interval procedures, meaning that they do not occur immediately following pregnancy. Approximately 500,000 vasectomies are performed annually for a rate of 9.9 procedures per 1000 men aged 25 to 49.”

Theoretically, sterilization, done willingly, safely, hygienically and equally to both men and women, is an effective and ethical means of population control. However, in India, women are dying as a result of the current program. Their safety must outweigh the national goal to reduce a rising population. The national government should instead implement a mass education program, designed to educate all Indian citizens on family planning. Though it would surely be resource exhaustive, such a program would allow for a higher quality of life for both men and women, as well as curb population growth.

The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect those of the Glimpse from the Globe staff, editors, or governors.

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On October 20th, two United Nation officials visited Detroit, Michigan to conduct an unofficial investigation into the water crisis plaguing the city. Catarina de Albuquerque, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to water and sanitation, and Leilani Farha, the Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, stated that the ongoing water shut offs are not only a violation of human rights, but also disproportionately affecting the cities “most vulnerable and poorest.”

This past August, the city of Detroit shut off the water to thousands of citizens, with plans to cut off more than 100,000 citizens who are unable to pay their bills. The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department says half of its 323,000 accounts are delinquent, meaning that they have not paid bills that total above $150 or that are 60 days late. Additionally, since March, up to 3,000 account holders have had their water cut off every. The Detroit Water Authority justifies this stricter policy because of the estimated $5 billion in debt that the city now carries, which has sparked recent privatization talks.

The UN has declared that water is a universal human right. Resolution 64/292, adopted by the general assembly in 2010, “recognizes the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights,” and “calls upon States and international organizations to provide financial resources, capacity-building and technology transfer, through international assistance and cooperation, in particular to developing countries, in order to scale up efforts to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all.”

The UN made the claim that the federal government also has a responsibility to the people of Detroit. Leilani Farha, the expert on the right to adequate housing, expressed concern that children are being removed by social services from their families and homes because, without access to water, their housing is no longer considered adequate. She stated, “If these water disconnections disproportionately affect African Americans they may be discriminatory, in violation of treaties the US has ratified.” Catarina de Albuquerque, the expert on the human right to water and sanitation, stated: “I encouraged the US Government to adopt a federal minimum standard on affordability for water and sanitation and a standard to provide protection against disconnections for vulnerable groups and people living in poverty. I also urged the Government to ensure due process guarantees in relation to water disconnection.” They concluded that “the households which suffered unjustified disconnections must be immediately reconnected.”

Within domestic law, however, water is not a right, but rather a privilege only given to those who can afford it. US Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes refused to block the city from shutting off water to delinquent customers for six months, saying there is no right to free water and Detroit can’t afford to lose the revenue.

The problem in Detroit is that people simply do not have the means to pay their water bills. In a city where the median household income ($23,600) is less than half the national average – 38% of residents live below the poverty line and 23% are unemployed – it is not so surprising that 40% of customers are unable to pay for their water and sewage.

The noted absence of federal statements about the water crisis has promoted widespread international criticism of both the US and more specifically the city of Detroit. Having the UN conduct an investigation into an American city because people do not have water is not only an embarrassment for the country, but also a harsh reminder that even within a developed country like the US, there are those that are struggling for their basic amenities. While the water issues in Detroit are symptomatic of a wider city struggle from its past and current bankruptcy, their present predicament also brings to light the institutionalized racism that still exists in the US, the stratified and ever widening gap between classes, and the apathy of many Americans to crises at home. It was Canadians that brought aid to the citizens of Detroit, not Americans. It was the UN officials that stated water was a right for all people, not the US government. The water issues in Detroit have brought to light the not only the conflict between domestic and international law, but also the prioritization of human rights in American political and public discourse.

The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect those of the Glimpse from the Globe staff, editors, or governors.

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