By Daniela Gomez | Staff Writer
Although women’s rights have continued to expand through generations, it cannot be ignored how women today are still being oppressed globally. Women are being trafficked, arranged to marry young, sold and forced into sex slavery and hard labor. For women in some countries, freedom is more limited than that of a woman in The United States.
Even though the US is more advanced with women’s rights, stereotypes of how women are vulnerable and cannot be completely equal to men have been embedded in society since birth. There have been numerous reports of how women in the US cannot receive equal pay, how they are sexually harassed and even raped. Still, most Americans tend to stay quiet about the situation or choose not to care.
On August 4, 1920, Congress gave women the right to vote, thus the 19th amendment was born. Other countries such as Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Vatican City and Egypt still have not granted women the right to vote.
In India, about 10 million girls are killed by their parents in horrifying ways; Sand or tobacco juice is poured into the baby’s mouth or nostrils, causing them to choke and suffocate. Infant girls are also being hung upside down and buried alive. All for what? Simply one answer: because they are girls.
Girls are known to be a liability in India. This eventually leads the bride’s parents to shower the groom’s family with gifts. Newborn infants who do survive have their marriages arranged when they are only a few years old. Not only does this happen in India, but there are also cases in which women are killed for saying no.
Before a woman is married, it is important for her to be virgin. Once the couple marries, the bed sheets are inspected the next morning to prove if she is or not. If she isn’t a virgin, she is shamed by her whole family, killed or tossed into a brothel. In reality, this does not necessarily prove if a woman is a virgin or not because it all depends on the woman’s body.
Women who tolerate mistreatment are forced, by their own family, into a physical and mentally abusive relationship. They are stuck in a dilemma of feeling trapped, depressed and eventually using suicide as a way out to end their suffering.
Women should be able to have the same rights as men, not only in these religions and countries, but in our society. Continuing to stand up for women’s rights could help women who are suffering around the world. Attending marches, supporting each other and donating to a cause are just a few ways to help your voice be heard. Love spreads faster if you leave the hate.
