A Woman's Right To... What? Social Justice
Internationally women’s rights and freedoms are either very restricted, open, or somewhere in between. In most Western countries women have an unlimited amount of freedoms. In America when it comes to very broad issues women have the same rights as men. For example women have the right to vote, the right to choose, and they cannot be discriminated upon on the basis of sex in the workplace. In many Eastern countries women do not share similar freedoms and rights. In the Middle-East and Southern Asia women are sometimes viewed as objects and have very little freedoms and rights. There are also continents like Africa where the amount of freedom a woman has depends on the country in which she resides.
In the case of Mukhtaran Mai, a Pakistani victim of rape; she faced possibly the toughest decision in her life when she decided to become a “Susan B. Anthony” for the women of her country. In Pakistan before Mai decided to speak out for women’s rights it was perfectly legal for a woman to be raped and ostracized from her community. Being ostracized from your community means that she would have no means of visiting her family and it would lessen her chances of finding a suitable husband because being raped in Pakistan youare seen as a suspect and not the victim. Many of the women in her countryassume that it was her fault for being raped. She was raped by a gang of men because of a grudge that those men had against her brother. In countries like America where theft may be the second most committed crime; In Pakistan rape could be seen as equivalent to theft in America. In a place like Pakistan, some people will commend Mai for her bravery and courage; but then there will be many who believe that her courage is a disgrace to her family and tradition. The belief of disgrace to your family is based on age old tradition in their culture of women having no rights as to what happens to them.
Many countries around the world have commended the Pakistani government for making a partial step towards a new social justice in Southern Asia. I believe that women in Southern Asia have a long and hard fight ahead of them to change what has been tradition for many centuries. In Mai’s case she prayed and hoped that everyone would receive equal punishment. Even though only one man was convicted I believe that the little victory will motivate Mai and many other women like her to continue to fight and protest for women’s rights in her country.
I understand the government’s decision in deciding not to punish all the men on the basis of insufficient evidence; but I believe that if they truly want women to be socially equal to men (within their religious beliefs) they will need the assistance of some western countries in order to make the right changes in their laws. In the government’s decision they say there was insufficient evidence but are they considering evidence as solely physical evidence like DNA or is evidence based on witnesses, hearsay and council memberships. I believe that in a very religiously traditional country like Pakistan evidence is probably more solely based on witnesses and things of that sort.
The case was tough for me to argue because it was hard for me pick out exactly where the government stood on their decision. It seemed as if the President was on Mai’s side but the rest of the government felt differently which was showed in their decision not to convict all twelve men. At first, I thought that the government’s decision would be largely influenced by the President’s feelings but apparently it was not. I hope that in future women’s issues decisions the Pakistani government reflect on Mai’s case and work towards laws that would help them to make better decisions when it comes to women’s rights.
In the case of Mukhtaran Mai, a Pakistani victim of rape; she faced possibly the toughest decision in her life when she decided to become a “Susan B. Anthony” for the women of her country. In Pakistan before Mai decided to speak out for women’s rights it was perfectly legal for a woman to be raped and ostracized from her community. Being ostracized from your community means that she would have no means of visiting her family and it would lessen her chances of finding a suitable husband because being raped in Pakistan youare seen as a suspect and not the victim. Many of the women in her countryassume that it was her fault for being raped. She was raped by a gang of men because of a grudge that those men had against her brother. In countries like America where theft may be the second most committed crime; In Pakistan rape could be seen as equivalent to theft in America. In a place like Pakistan, some people will commend Mai for her bravery and courage; but then there will be many who believe that her courage is a disgrace to her family and tradition. The belief of disgrace to your family is based on age old tradition in their culture of women having no rights as to what happens to them.
Many countries around the world have commended the Pakistani government for making a partial step towards a new social justice in Southern Asia. I believe that women in Southern Asia have a long and hard fight ahead of them to change what has been tradition for many centuries. In Mai’s case she prayed and hoped that everyone would receive equal punishment. Even though only one man was convicted I believe that the little victory will motivate Mai and many other women like her to continue to fight and protest for women’s rights in her country.
I understand the government’s decision in deciding not to punish all the men on the basis of insufficient evidence; but I believe that if they truly want women to be socially equal to men (within their religious beliefs) they will need the assistance of some western countries in order to make the right changes in their laws. In the government’s decision they say there was insufficient evidence but are they considering evidence as solely physical evidence like DNA or is evidence based on witnesses, hearsay and council memberships. I believe that in a very religiously traditional country like Pakistan evidence is probably more solely based on witnesses and things of that sort.
The case was tough for me to argue because it was hard for me pick out exactly where the government stood on their decision. It seemed as if the President was on Mai’s side but the rest of the government felt differently which was showed in their decision not to convict all twelve men. At first, I thought that the government’s decision would be largely influenced by the President’s feelings but apparently it was not. I hope that in future women’s issues decisions the Pakistani government reflect on Mai’s case and work towards laws that would help them to make better decisions when it comes to women’s rights.
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