Women rights are those rights and privileges that have been accredited for the women and ladies within a society but they do vary from region to region. The issues that are mostly associated with women rights can include but not limited to the right to physical uprightness and independence, the right to elect, the right to be employed, the right for proper education, the right for equal compensation at the work place, the right to own property among many other rights as compared to their male counter parts (Haddad et al, 67). In other places, such rights are entrenched or maintained by the law, local custom, and behavior while in other places such as the Middle East they are disregarded or totally suppressed all together. This paper will be endeavoring at elucidating and expounding on the women rights in the Middle East.
Women rights have always been an emotive and elusive issue the world over being a constant problem every country associates with albeit with disparities across regions. A recent UN report shows that despite a slur in instances of denial of women’s rights, the world has failed in the fight against injustices against women (Moghadam, 18-19). It has fallen short of expectations in implementation of the commitment to empower women and strive towards gender equality. Just 8 countries have policies that advocate for this out of the 188 membership of the UN.
Women continue to be deprived of their fundamental rights and disfranchised of their basic provisions in many regions especially in (but not limited to) Africa and the Middle East due to cultural implications, traditions, beliefs, religion and at times even government policy. Some countries are openly opposed to moving forward on the issue. For example, Iraq, Sudan, Libya and Nicaragua have opposed freedom of expression and issues of reproductive health. Others have shown open hostility on the international platform advocating for deletion of reproductive rights and health in the Current Challenges section of the review document.
The Middle East in particular has been known for its disregard for women rights over the years and it is a sorry state in the 21st century. In recent years there have been persistent protests from women calling for change in the region (Moghadam, 18-19). Women of all ages and backgrounds have taken to the streets risking their lives to fight for change. As a result, they have been humiliated, harassed, tortured and arrested. In Syria for instance, mass protests began in March 2011 with women playing leading roles in organizing the demonstrations. It has led to self-imposed exiles for these riot leaders leading to hiding for a majority more (Worden, 76). The Arab world provides minimal rights and legal protection to women.
These gross injustices could be attributed to a number of causes that can be discussed in detail with circumstantial instances provided for each (Khalidi et al, 34-35). There are major umbrella reasons for the denial of women rights in the Middle East and they can be summed up as;
- Tradition
- Religion
- Law
The Middle East is a region known for its strict observation of tradition and poor reception of change. The traditions of the region have been passed over generations since the yester eras. In these traditions, the role of a woman is inferior to that of a man and woman hence enjoys lesser, or no, privileges (Kelly et al, 65). They are second rate citizens and their sphere of interest is expected to be limited to the house and the family. There are a number of reasons that have been used to deny women their rights that have affiliation to tradition.
The traditions have created an aura of a society that is highly patriarchal. Woman is viewed as a fairer gender and as such, she is restricted to household chores. It is arguably the duty of the man to fend for the family (Joseph et al, 78-79). This leads to the denial of rights to education and equal opportunity employment. For example, in Iraq, women cannot own property and they inherit less than half of what their brothers do simply because of their gender. This disenfranchises woman of the chance to learn and improve herself on a personal level. This can be viewed as a chauvinistic attempt at responsibility (Afkhami, 45-46). Woman should be grateful (in their view) for such “care” provided by their husbands. Women should however be empowered to own property, learn and sign contracts for self-fulfillment.
Traditionally too, the role of a woman has been a negative perception of the entity of feminine gender. Gender role has been a great hindrance to women rights in the Middle East. In a patriarchal society, the role of a woman predisposes her to abuse of her rights. Woman is denied a voice, she has no platform to make her views heard and as such the fundamental rights of opinion, choice and speech are curtailed (Manea, 91-92). In Saudi Arabia for instance, as is the case for many more countries, women are not allowed to vote. Women cannot travel, undertake paid work or higher education, or marry without a male guardian’s permission. Generally, the interest of women in politics has been minimal and the feeling that they will not be interested in voting can be attributed to such, however, it should be a personal choice to vote or not to. Women too have a right to representation (Nasir, 43). As the world gears on, gender equality is primal and society should not restrict gender roles and frown upon women for the traditional gender roles.
Culturally, there are practices that are heinous and barbaric and target women. In most of the Middle East societies, it is customary to observe sexual molarity, not for the woman’s sake but for the family name and dignity. Sexually related offences are treated with a lot of seriousness (Manea, 91-92). The region has one of the most troubling cultures of “honor crimes,” which is the killing of a wife or female family member for alleged sexual misconduct. While these accusations require little evidence, the honor crimes themselves are rarely investigated or prosecuted. Many women in these countries also battle domestic violence, which is not considered illegal in much of the region, and lack access to education (Khalidi et al, 34-35). While this would be argued to be a sure way to save face for families and keep the societal moral fabric untainted, the unfairness in its judgment is shocking. Only women suffer the consequences of crimes of passion that involve a male too.
Religion ought to be a shelter for these women but instead, to some parameters, the religious laws are instrumental in misinforming the society and poor understanding of religious clauses leads to denial of rights for women. For instance, for religious reasons, women cannot go outdoors without covering their bodies fully (Kelly et al, 65). Whereas the world is evolving and cultures are changing, women, who are created as vessels of beauty, lack the chance to dress as they would wish in the Middle East. Regardless of the religious ties that this has, it is a shallow law that would require deeper thought and cognition.
Islamic marriage law, the main religion of the region, makes it hard for a woman to voice out abuse in marriage; as a result, women suffer in silence from abusive husbands and domestic violence. Islamic marriage laws allow the marriage of up to four wives by a husband. The wife has no say on the marriages subsequent to hers. It robs her chance to enjoy her marriage and have undivided attention (Joseph et al, 78-79). It as well predisposes her to the risk of STDs and HIV, albeit low transmission rates in the region. These marriages are mostly arranged and therefore women end up marrying people other than those of their choice. It is a gross contravention of women rights.
The law has also failed to protect women and in some instances it has actually been an instrument of torture for them. It’s interesting to note that the constitutions in many nations throughout the Middle East include language and laws ensuring the rights of women (Haddad et al, 67). The problem, women and researchers say, is that many of these laws are not consistently upheld – and are often simply ignored. In Syria, a legal process to divorce a husband initiated by a woman would take up to two years (Afkhami, 45-46). On the other hand, a husband can divorce a woman simply by shouting at her “you are divorced” thrice. In Saudi Arabia, the law prohibits women from driving cars and it is punishable by 10 lashes in public. Such barbaric antics are unwarranted.
In conclusion, women rights crusade the world over is in gear and changes are evident but the Middle East lags behind.
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