Human Rights

 I was particularly struck by the article from UNIFEM, “Women’s Rights are Human Rights”, and the cultural span the authors covered when talking about how women have stood up in the face of oppression and violence to make the world better for themselves and their daughters. 

The authors talk about how a revolution in the way we view females has brought violence against women out into the public sphere. No longer is it okay to say that the violence done to women anywhere is just a “part of that culture.” Female genital mutilation, stoning of women, sexual slavery, and domestic abuse should not be ignored, and women who have suffered these abuses are finding more and more ways to redress the laws governing violence and equal rights. 

Though people in the U.S. are usually aware that women do suffer in many ways all over the world, I don’t know that a lot of people fully realize the extent of this violence. There are millions of women who are missing in Asia, because of female infanticide and sex selective abortion. There are millions of young girls in Africa who deal with rape, AIDS, and female genital mutilation on a daily basis. These are human rights, not just something women need to think about. It is the responsibility of humanity and governments to right these wrongs which affect not only women, but all people.