When people interact
with prejudice or bias; world and interpersonal views are negatively impacted.
Often culturally insensitive responses result of tradition, misconception or
sense of superiority. Understanding this helps us to help ourselves or others to
be responsive; reducing stereotypes, improving equity, and eliminating
violence. Although culture and traditions reflect ties to our families and may
be foundations to many societies, there are engrained beliefs and traditions
that are oppressive. Around the world, women continue to struggle to ensure
basic rights.
This week a
wise person at my workplace commented that her husband was shocked to learn
about the treatment of women in India. Atrocities against females in India have
recently become reported by the popular press. Women are also subject to
torture, molestation, rape, trafficking and death. The New York Times (2013)
reports that there are 100,000 incidents of women being burnt to death yearly.
125,000 die from violent injuries. BBC (2011) noted that there were 24,000
reported cases of rape of children, teenagers and women in 2011, and in 94% of
the reported cases, victims knew the rapist. 33% of offenders were neighbours
or acquaintances while the remainder comprised of family members.
Change cannot occur unless we stand
up to change gross human right violations.
More information can be found at Amnesty
International
Sources
Derald Wing
Sue ( 2013). Microsaggression.
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_lQNI9T6vs
Indian
women. Retrieved January 31, 2014 from http://blog.amnestyusa.org/asia/the-worst-place-to-be-a-woman-in-the-g20
New York Times
Company .( 2013).India’s New Focus on
Rape Shows Only the Surface of Women’s Perils. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/world/asia/in-rapes-aftermath-india-debates-violence-against-women.html?src=recg&_r=0#Scene_1
BBC ©. ( 2014).
How India treats its women. 29
December 2012. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-20863860
Thank you for sharing these wrenching statistics! You are right, change cannot happen unless we stand up against these wrongful acts.
ReplyDeleteHello Barbara,
ReplyDeleteThis report was heart wrenching and I know it was hard for you to read this. Change will come one day, but not until the men understand that women are loved and made from God just as they are. Thank you for this thought provoking blog post.
I just told my daughter that as a society we often take certain liberties for granted. She is still learning that freedom is not a choice in some countries. Thanks for sharing
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