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Dowry Killings: Why Does It Happen and How Can We Prevent It?
Dowry is a social custom where a man and his family demand assets and money from the bride’s family. Even though dowry is declared illegal in India and other neighboring countries, this practice is still highly prevalent in these region. To know more about this custom, it’s background and consequences, read our post Dowry- The Leading Cause of Female Infanticides and Foeticides in Indian Sub-continent What is dowry killings ? In some cases, greed of the guy’s family persists after marriage and the demand for money or expensive items does not end after marriage . In these cases, often the girls are tortured and severely abused to…
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MeToo: A Movement Truly Helped Women to Overcome Victim Shaming
“I think only when we can shift the shame from the victims to perpetrators, the change will start there.”- Dr. Denis Mukwege In October 2018, New York time published how #MeToo movement brought down 201 powerful men in the United States. Majority of these men have harassed and assaulted women for many years and probably never imagined they would ever have to face any consequences. We have seen in the last couple of years how so many men in power and fame were accused, proven guilty, removed or resigned from their position or even sentenced as a consequence of MeToo movement. Victim blaming and shaming has not completely…
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Female Genital Mutilation: Facts, Figures and Resources
What is Female Genital Mutilation? Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a harmful and brutal practice of partially or completely removing , cutting , sewing up , piercing of external female genitalia as a social or cultural custom. There are several deep- rooted cultural, social, even political and religious believes behind this inhuman practice but actually it is nothing but a reflection of discrimination and oppression against women and girls and is used to harness the rights and controls of women’s lives, sexuality , health and well being. “With the dignity, health and well-being of millions of girls at stake, there is no time to waste. Together, we can…
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Cost of Gender Inequality: Data and Reports
Keeping women away from the main workforce and quality education could have negative impacts on the growth and development of any country. A recent report by the World Economic Forum has explained the correlation between gender gap and economic development of all the countries. Women account for one-half of a country’s potential talent base, a nation’s competitiveness in the long-term depends significantly on whether and how it educates and utilizes its women. The Report highlighted the strong correlation between a country’s gender gap and its economic performance and summarizes some of the latest research on the economic and societal case for gender equality. Countries that have made investments…
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The Battle which Led to the Voting Rights of Women in Britain
“We women, in trying to make our case clear, always have to make as part of our argument, and urge upon men in our audience the fact – a very simple fact – that women are human beings.” – Emmeline Pankhurst The relentless fight for women’s voting right in the United Kingdom began around mid 19th Century. Under the 1918 Representation of the People Act ,Women won the right to vote in the UK in 1918. Representation of the People Act was a pivotal milestone , but this act granted voting rights only to women over the age of 30 who either owned land themselves or were married to…
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From A Victim of War Crimes to Nobel Peace Prize
“After what has happened to me I realize the most difficult thing is to be a woman” – Nadia Murad. Systematic Sexual violence against women has always been used as a strategy of warfare. In 2018, a Yazidi women survivor and women rights activist received the Noble Peace Prize. This 25 year old shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Dr. Denise Mukwege, who has spent more than two decades in treating the women impacted by sexual violence in Republic of Congo for their “efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict”. In August 2014, a group of ISIS extremists invaded…
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Child Marriage: Getting Rid of the Burden-the sooner the better
Nujood Ali fled her husband’s home at the age of 10, after being beaten regularly by her in-laws and raped by her husband for two months. She showed immense courage by going to the court and obtaining divorce by breaking the social norms and tradition. Her story was later documented by a French journalist in “I am Nujood: Age 10 and Divorced “. Nujood became a prominent figure in Yemen’s movement against forced and early marriages. Child marriage is a fundamental violation of human rights. It is prevalent in all over the world, from the Middle East to Latin America, South Asia to Europe. According to an UNICEF report,…
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How Formal Education Set Them Apart
Sruti, a beautiful and a very well mannered lady in her thirties, used to work in our house in India as a domestic help. No matter how severely she was beaten the previous night by her husband or how tired or unwell she was, she would always wear a soothing smile on her face. Her bruises, struggles, and pain used to make me angry. I got to know that her parents and three grown-up brothers lived quite close by and they used to financially support Sruti to raise her children and buy the essentials, as her alcoholic husband would not even pay a penny towards the family expenses. I became…
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Are we oppressing ourselves? The truth behind Judgment and snarky comments
In high school, I survived a mean girl. Ironically, she was my best friend. She was back biting me, to my other friends, and putting me down through snarky comments. I remember one incident when I excitedly told her I was going to go to Mexico with my older brother and sister. She told me she hoped I caught a parasite. So, that was not a very subtle comment and that was nearing the end of our friendship. Because of her constantly putting me down, I lost myself and all my friends. I attempted suicide. I believed what she said about me and decided I didn’t want…
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Fighting Against Sex Crimes
Not long ago, I joined this organization Rape Trauma Services (RTS), a non-profit whose goal is to support those who face sexual abuse and trauma. Through the training RTS provided me, and through the support I’ve given to the survivors, I have been able to see the immense value in being a male, fighting against sex crimes. For those with their father, their boyfriend, or their colleague being their assaulter, I can show the survivors that there are still men who can be supportive. By joining RTS as a Sexual Assault counselor and advocate, I have faced the struggle of sharing what I do with everyone I know. Although I…
