Oppression of women and girls is currently a major global issue especially in the Middle East. This social injustice towards women has been going on for a long time and has attracted a lot of attention all over the world. The most devastating aspect about the plight of these women and girls is that they are oblivious of their predicament which makes it even more difficult for them to free themselves . Organizations such as Half the Sky are investing heavily in order to create awareness and empower these women and girls with the aim of achieving real change. Gender based Violence (GBV) refers to violence inflicted upon women and girls as a result of their gender roles and which might cause them sexual, physical or physiological harm. This essay will discuss gender based violence as a social injustice towards women and girls in the Middle-East and possible solutions to this social injustice.
Women around the world are faced with issues such as gender based violence is a social injustice inflicted upon women all over the world and more so to women and women in marginalized areas such as the Middle-East. Gender based violence against women and girls includes rape, domestic violence, honor killings and Female Genital Cutting (FGC). Out of every five women, one will be a victim of rape or that of an attempted rape in the course of their life time. Close to half of the women experience violence from their husbands and partners at a certain point of their lives. There are no law provisions governing against domestic violence in over 100 countries, while 53 countries in the world do not recognize marital rape as a criminal offence. Rape against women has been used for a long time as a weapon during war; over 250,000 women were victims of rape during the Rwanda Genocide. Over 5,000 women are victims of honor killings and the number could even be 4 times higher as a result of the unreported cases . These social injustices against women are more rampant in countries where male dominance such as the Middle-East is prevalent.
Domestic violence is one form of GBV inflicted upon women in the Middle-East. The men in these countries possess both economic power and the absolute power to make decisions. The men in these societies are dictators who are used to have things their way, without putting their women into consideration. The concept of divorce is non-existent in such communities and women are forced to stay in abusive marriages . Violence is applied as a tool to solve conflicts and rape is a common aspect. Women aged between 15 and 40 are likely to be maimed as a result of abuse from their husbands and partners than of natural causes and diseases . Gender based violence accounts for the ill health of most women in the world. Most rape cases go unreported as a result of stigmatization, while most countries fail to recognize marital rape and domestic violence as criminal offences. In countries such as Iraq, the constitution allows for acts such as early marriages which include girls as young as the age of 9 years to be married off . The law which ideally should protect them, denies the women of their rights and privileges in their own marriages, and also denies them of rights such as divorce and inheritance.
Female genital cutting (FGC) is another form of GBV that the women and girls in the Middle-East have to deal with. In most countries in the middle-east, some African parts and other indigenous communities, it is a common practice for young girls to be circumcised when they reach puberty. These young girls are subjected towards this injustice to ensure that their sexual purity is not compromised, since they believe that the practice reduces a woman’s sexual desires . The purpose is to ensure that the young woman remains a virgin till marriage and faithful to her husband even after marriage. This practice is a major health risk to these young women. The practice often leads to excessive loss of blood which can result in death, not to mention complications during child birth in the future.
Honor killings is also another form of GBV against women and girls in the Middle-East, who are perceived by the community as sexually impure. It is a cultural tradition that women in these countries whose virginity or faithfulness has been compromised be punished by death by their own kin . This can be as a result of rape, infidelity in their marriages, or falling short of both religious and cultural expectations. The most devastating aspect about the situation is that these women have no voice against these acts, and mothers, sisters and aunts have to watch in silence when this social injustice is conducted as punishment. In countries such as Palestine, honor crimes are on the rise . This is characterized by the extreme culture of male dominance and a combination of the tendency of most of the males to join the military.
The male dominance culture in the Middle-East needs to be addressed in order to put an end to GBV. Men in the Middle East regard women as their subjects and hence they regard them as objects to do as they please. The woman has no voice in the Middle East not to mention the lack of privileges and the abuse of their human rights. Young women are subjected into early marriages at the will of their fathers. The life of the woman is a complete misery especially when raising their daughters. These women would rather bear male children since they endure great suffering raising and watching their children grown into miserable women who are treated unfairly and unwanted by the society . The social values in the society has no place for the woman or the girl child. These values account for the high levels of illiteracy among these women, as the society regards educating a woman as a waste of resources. These women have assimilated a cultures of hopelessness which is passed down from generation to generation. Most young girls eventually end up in early and forced marriages, where their husband subject them to gender based violence and the cycle never ends. The women in Middle-East need to be given a voice and awareness so that they are capable of fleeing themselves from male dominance. These women cannot achieve this on their own without the help of activists, movements and intervention from the global village.
More movements and activists should come out and help the women in the Middle-East to fight against GBV. The movement “Half of the Sky” as well as the authors of the book “Half the sky”, are looking to turn the oppression that women and girls are subjected to into opportunity. The plight of the women and girls in the Middle East needs to be addressed and the necessary action taken in order to help women empower and flee themselves from patriarchy. More people and more movements ought to be willing to join in the fight against the social injustices being inflicted against women. There is the need for more activists and movements to assist the women in the fight against these social injustices. The greatest obstacle in the fight against injustices in the Middle-East is that women in these countries are marginalized as compared to women in other countries in the world such as the United States. These issues have ben generalized as women issues while in the real sense some of these issues pertain both men and women since they also involve humanitarian issues affecting all genders, races and cultures . Most women are also subjected to these social injustices as a result of the lack of awareness and the lack of economic power. The culture of male dominance which has been passed down generation after generation has continued to subject women against GBV, a culture that needs to come to an end.
The global village should join the women in the Middle-East in the fight against GBV. America has spent a lot of funds addressing terrorism threats in countries in the middle-east which can be approximated to around 10 billion USD after the 2011 bombing . If similar efforts were put in educating women in the Middle East, less gender based violence would be experienced. Education empowers women enabling them to become more active in the society and matters affecting women. Education empowers the woman to be heard in the society. Gender based violence is less common in countries were women are educated. With economic power and literacy women will be less dominated by their male counterparts and will be able to protect themselves from GBV.
In conclusion social injustice against women and girls is a global concern that is more prevalent in countries such as the Middle-East, as compared to other countries in the world. The culture of male dominance, hostile conditions as a result of war, poverty and high levels of illiteracy are the leading contributing factors to oppression against women. Oppression against women manifests itself through gender based violence which includes rape and domestic violence. Female genital cutting (FGC) and crimes of honor are also other social injustices which pertains a woman’s sexuality. These culture perceive women as objects to do as they please and they have no regard or respect for them. The world has a major role to play in order to put an end to the social injustices that these women are being subjected to. By being more rampant in their activism, more awareness will reach these women and girls. Education will also enlighten the women and arm them with the economic power to flee themselves from the grasp of their patriarchal culture. More resources should be directed towards educating the women in the Middle-East so as to reduce Gender Based Violence and oppression towards women and girls.
Works Cited
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