Daily Times

According to famous Pakistani poet AIlama Iqbal “all the colours in the universe are because of women”. She provides comfort, peace of mind, solace, happiness, companionship but the society pays back with rape and physical/mental abuse. She’s essentially considered a commonality.

Women’s day 2019 is not much different from 2018. If the women in America are celebrating their right of vote, a big day in the House of Representatives on 3rd January when newly elected women, many dressed in suffragist white, marked the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in the United States. At the same time, women in Saudi Arabia are struggling for their basic human rights. They got right to vote but they are still not allowed to use it by their men. Many women social activists are in death row waiting to be beheaded because they raised their voices against an unjust system of the kingdom. Most significant of them is Israa al-Ghomgham, a 32 years old female campaigner waiting to be beheaded as per HRW.

Nelson Mandela said education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world. Without a girl’s education, this world cannot be a better place. When we talk about education, sadly, war-torn areas first come in one’s mind. Children, especially girls are deprived from basic needs of life. Since Yemen’s war began in 2014, over 2 million children have been displaced from school, over 2,318 schools have been destroyed, over 166,000 teachers were not paid for two years – affecting 4 million students, some 360,000 cases of child cholera have been reported, some 85,000 children have starved to death, and child marriage skyrocketed with 72% girls married before the age of 18.

The best example to portray a common woman’s life around the globe is the Oscar winning film by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy called ‘A girl in the river’

In late 2018, UAE and Saudi Arabia released $70 million to assist in paying teachers, but their self-initiated violence, starvation and suffering continue. We cannot see any significant change around the globe without girls being education. Sadly, 132 million girls (age 5-17) remain out of school today and the number is increasing. According to UNICEF, in Afghanistan two out of three girls are not in school. 12 million girls under age 18 are married annually as child brides. Niger has world’s lowest female literacy rate (11% adult women) and highest rate of child marriage, where three of four girls marry by 18.

An interesting but crucial topic often neglected is breastfeeding. As much as it can be difficult for an Arab woman in Saudi Arabia to go out without burqah, same can be difficult for an American woman to breast feed in the middle of a supermarket or bus stop. Because to most Americans the idea of exposed breasts and suckling children elicited too much discomfort, was too reminiscent of the dark-skinned women from developing countries. How ironic that nature unifies the women by giving them the same colour and nutrition of the milk for babies but xenophobes divide through discrimination. America’s distaste for public breast-feeding has its roots in mid-century racism and the rise of the commercial food industry. It was a heinous attempt of capitalism against motherhood. According to the UNICEF’s senior nutritional advisor France Begin, “Early breastfeeding can make the difference between life and death”

India is emerging state with economic stability and the dream of every Bollywood fan is to visit once India. According to HRW, India is the most dangerous country for women since they’ve been committed in the most horrific manner. Similarly, Denmark has a “pervasive ‘rape culture’ and endemic impunity for rapists,” according to an Amnesty International report. “While there is a widespread perception in Denmark that gender equality has been achieved,” the study says, “this report shows that in the area of sexual violence, Danish authorities must do more to live up to this positive image.”

The best example to portray a common woman’s life around the globe is the Oscar winning film bySharmeen Obaid Chinoy called ‘A girl in the river’. She won two Oscars but her subject for the film was about a girl who was abused by her family. Likewise, women in the third world face discrimination in gender equality, education and social status. On the other hand, women in modern societies are facing gender inequality, sexual harassment and pay gap even in key institutions like the UN.

Nevertheless, women like the late Asma Jahangir, Nadia Murad ,Malala Yousafzai, Tawkal Karman, Seema Sahar, Wangari Muta Maathai Africa Kenya and many others are holding the candle firmly to brighten the future of our upcoming generations. There’s still a long way to go, though!

The writer is a journalist based in Belgium and is a writer, teacher, translator, human activist, focusing on human rights, gender equality and peace

Published in Daily Times, March 10^th 2019.