Published: November 23, 2006
Op-Ed Contributor
Women are marginalized And Violated By Terror
By Kamala Sarup
Women are facing threats from terrorism. The terrorists are a threat to the innocent women. There are a number of kinds of terrorist violence where women are victims. Terrorists actions have increasingly turned anti-women. Thousands of women have been killed in recent years, and thousands more have been kidnapped for ransom. Small girls, some as young as thirteen or fourteen, have been recruited into the irregular forces - guerrillas and paramilitaries - that play a primary role in the terrorist war. Terrorists routinely recruit women and girls for combat and they are often forced to become fighters. Many girls are abducted and more than a half of the armed groups are under 12.
Small arms did enormous damage to Innocent women beyond death.
Women also account for the largest number of civilian casualties in war. Thousands of women have died and many more have been injured or left homeless. War has cost over a million women's lives.
Women are being forced to carry guns.
In addition, the lack of family planning programs, unwanted pregnancy due to the lack of preventive measures, criminal offenses like rape and illicit sexual relations ending in abortion, leads to the death of thousands of women. Too many men remain ignorant of, or indifferent to, their responsibility for the family and its reproductive health.
Women still do not have the same chance to be educated as men. Authorities largely failed to investigate most women's complaints of rape and abuse. The flood of publications and debate of the possible socially damaging effects of the dissemination of violence is of unbroken concern
There is also the problem of rehabilitating women who were raped.
Women are facing discrimination in access to employment. Women are still the subjects of mental torture in all social quarters. Thousands of women in South Asia have been murdered because of dowry and parental property. Several women have been accused of practising witchcraft.
Incomplete and weak laws prevailing about trafficking in humans, lack of political commitment for seeking problem solutions are the root causes for the continuation and increase in trafficking of women.
Globally, the media shows little interest in women's issues and among what has been covered, most is rather negative and wrong. The media does not seem to have given adequate attention to important issues that concern women's welfare. However, media also has been a source of misinformation, misperception, and negative ideas and attitudes about women's issues.
There are many legal provisions that directly discriminate against women. They suffer from exploitation and injustice. The discriminatory system has put women in a powerless, disadvantaged position right from the beginning. Although the law strongly advocates equity in principle, women have not yet experienced that sense of equality. They are still treated as second-class citizens.
Education is imperative as it can only help women in to improve their life economically, educationally, politically and legally.
Women, constituting more than half of the world's population, are marginalized, violated and abused. Too many women still can not choose when or whether to become pregnant. There is no reproductive freedom for the women in Asia. They have to bear children one after the other until her husband is satisfied. A son is a must.
Nepali Journalist and Story Writer Kamala Sarup is an editor of
peacejournalism.com. She is specialising in in-depth reporting and writing on Peace, Anti War, Women, Terrorism, Democracy, and Development. Some of her publications are: Women's Empowerment (Booklet). Prevention of trafficking in women through media,(Book) Efforts to Prevent Trafficking in for Media Activism (Media research). Two Stories collections. Her interests include international conflict resolution, cross-cultural communication, philosophy, feminism, political, socio-economic and literature. Her current plans are to move on to humanitarian work in conflict areas in the near future. She also is experienced in organizational and community development.
alan@newsblaze.com
* The views of Opinion writers do not necessarily reflect the views of NewsBlaze
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