click here to see the horrific video we watched in class today which moved me so much i broke down less than 60 seconds from reaching my mum's car after school.
not only this video, but the staggering and eye opening statistics and anecdotes discussed in the non fiction book Half the Sky have been a profound wake up call for me... they have compelled me to commit to doing the following:
- complain less about my life, which problems' are ridiculously petty in comparison with those millions of women experience on a daily basis
- devote a good part of my life to the cause, as i've found out human rights and womens rights in particular are a huge passion for me and i feel morally obliged to make a difference because i've been granted so many gifts in my life; this will be my way of giving back
- begin saving up, little by little, to donate to a worthy charity - even if money seems like a small contribution to a faraway problem, i'm positive that every cent counts...i am also aware, however, that education is the single most important tool in working towards the ultimate aim of equality and peace in the world
some sickening thoughts that have stuck in my mind for the past few days and i hope will compell whoever reading this to also make a change (READ HALF THE SKY, ITS A FUCKING BOOK, THIS IS THE BARE MINIMUM YOU CAN DO, GO BUY IT! YOU WON'T REGRET IT! THIS BOOK HONESTLY CHANGED MY LIFE!):
- in some developing countries where these unspeakable crimes are being committed, the police are used as a mechanism for perpetuation; meant to serve justice, in many cases they turn away victims, scorn or laugh, accept bribes to do nothing or say nothing, and are ruthlessly corrupt.
- the pressure to accept and let tradition pan out means many women accept their fate and lead children to do the same; in villages in Ethiopia, for example, rape is a time honored tradition and men feel it is necessary to do so if he can not afford to pay a dowry before marriage or if they think a woman's family will reject them.
- girls as young as 12 are being forced to give birth to large numbers of children and the rate of maternal death is incredibly high. in some cases, young girls are not educated enough to even understand when they are giving birth.
- women often play a part in this overwhelmingly ruthless culture; women are often the ones who ensure their daughters' genitals are cut, feed their sons before daughters, take sons to doctors and for vaccinations instead of daughters, and are involved in gang rapes of young girls.
- in the huge majority of cases, victims of acid attacks keep quiet and say it was an 'accident' when a stove exploded. in one study, doctors found not one patient who was telling the truth as they are able to see whether bits of the stove have been caught in wounds. although they know the truth, they have no choice but to keep their lips sealed as speaking up could easily put their life and the safety of their own families in jeopardy.
- imagine the millions, perhaps even billions, of untold stories, women's stories that will never be told...107 million women are 'missing' from the world today, and this number is only climbing.
"...may seem to Western readers to be tragic but inevitable in a world far, far away"
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