Treatment Of Women Around The World Essay

, Research Paper Treatment of women around the world is a current world issue that has and still is a large issue in out society today. For many centuries man has always been labeled as the superior sex. Girls were brought up to be passive, gentle and caring. Their occupation was to cook, clean and bear children, with the occasional teacher or nurse. Men were brought up to be dominating. From birth they were dressed in unfeminine colours such as blue and red and had army men and cars thrust into their hands. Women and men lived like this in many cultures for a long time. Over time women in developed worlds began fighting for equal rights and now approaching a new millennium we have a new generation where boys can play with dolls and women can be lawyers. Well, as we all know not all stories have happy endings and this one is no exception. This story does not have an ending, only a beginning where women all over the world, in very different countries are facing very similar problems-discrimination and a lack of human rights. Even in our developed nations of Canada and the United States there are hundreds of cases of domestic violence where women and children are beaten and the perpetrator never punished. Domestic Violence in Canada and North America is a very important issue. Women who are beaten will stay with their partners for numerous reasons. Some are afraid to leave due to financial dependency, fear of their partner or willingness to believe their partner will change. Some warning signs of an abusive lover are, extreme jealousy, – 1 – having to know where their partner is at all times, having to isolate their partner from friends and family, blames partner and others for his /her problems and threatens with violence. Many women are ignorant to the laws in Canada to govern them. For Example, a woman can be physically abused even without physical marks. There are three types of physical assault: Simple assault, which is slapping, pushing, pinching and threatening. Assault with a weapon or causing bodily harm, which is getting beaten by a bat, getting a black eye, or a threat to use a weapon. And then there is aggravated assault, which is where your life is endangered, you are wounded, maimed or disfigured. There are many shelters and hot lines available to aid these woman in need. In Afghanistan extreme cases of abuse towards women occur everyday. Since it s beginning in 1996 the Tailbone has gained control over ninety percent of Afghanistan. Before the Tailbone came into control sexual crimes against women were commonplace and to stop these crimes the Taleban decided these crimes were being instigated by women s dress and actions and thus they must revoke their rights. In Afghanistan, affairs outside marriage are punished as following: If the women is married at the time of the affair she is publicly stoned to death, if she is unmarried, she is publicly lashed. Women in Afghanistan have to cover themselves from head to toe, including their eyes, whenever they leave their homes as to not seduce any unsuspecting males. Women s homes in Afghanistan must have windows that are painted black as so men – 2 – cannot see them without their burqaus, which is their mandatory dress outside of the home. Women have lost every right that would allow them to live independently from men. Women cannot go to school, work, or even leave their homes without a male member of their family. Women have very limited access to health care as they cannot be examined or operated on by a male doctor and they must also take a male member of their family as a chaperone. Women are also not allowed to petition the court directly, it must be done through a male member of their family. Wars raging in Afghanistan have left an estimated 30,000 women widowed. These women have very little choices left in their lives. Due to the fact that birth control is outlawed in Afghanistan, the majority of these women also have dependent children. These women can chose to either beg on the streets or, as many women do choose, prostitution. Prostitution is a very dangerous occupation for women in Afghanistan as many men beat them, refuse to pay, and threaten to turn them in. Many women in Afghanistan are severely depressed and many more still are considering suicide. Afghanistan is sadly only one of many countries that consider women unequal to men. In India male babies are favoured over female babies. Female babies cost their family dowry, which is often almost impossible to afford. Many families will kill their female children in order to have a male child. Female babies are killed either by abortion – 3 – following a sex test on the embryo, others are killed mercilessly by family members shortly after birth. Even if a female manages to survive, she still now must face living with her husband s family following marriage, which, if the sum of the dowry is not satisfying, can be a living hell. Many women are killed over their dowries and even more women accidentally die in very suspicious circumstances. Another country where women are viewed less than men, is China. China has instilled a one-child policy to help control their ever-expanding population; and with this millions of female babies are found abandoned every year. In China a male baby is seen as imperative to carry on the family tradition and name, as a female baby is sinned upon. In China today the orphanages are filled with unwanted Female children and babies who are given slim chances for a suitable life. In conclusion, treatment of women is an issue that affects both men and women all around the globe, that has to be dealt with in a serious matter. Even if women rights is not a big issue in your country, more than likely it once was, and women had to fight to get where we are today. Now, both men and women are fighting for the rights of women all over the world so that one day women everywhere may experience freedom and the choice to be anything they wish. – 4 –