How strong are we on women’s rights?
 This
cat is very concerned about women as she considers this half of the
human race the more admirable; the more to be admired and thus
respected. Yet there is seen greater discrimination against women even
in these times of the United Nations’ several conventions on women’s
rights including the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
their Women’s Charter; and the Sri Lankan Charter. March 8 is designated
International Women’s Day and November 25 International Day for the
Elimination of Violence against Women. Do these days see more than mere
lip service being given, at least in our country?
At home
As the title questions, how strong is this country on women’s rights
and giving the woman her due place. We did not actually have to fight
for our rights since from long long ago women were respected and the two
sexes worked alongside each other as they each knew what their duties
were. Rights were not discussed then nor considered.
The word was hardly known in this country fifty years ago. However,
as the country came under outside influences; women, beginning from
about the middle of the 20th century having to share earning the
family’s income and with education and awareness created, she became
more conscious of her rights.
Our women found they were discriminated against. Women in the manual
labour force for example, did not get equal pay for equal work done. But
since society respected women and Buddhism particularly gave the woman
an elevated position we had no need to march in protest against women’s
rights being attacked.Outwardly, and as decreed by our government, women
share parity with men as regards societal regard and position,
education, job opportunities and all that. But yet, the life of women in
general is not what it should be. Women are discriminated against.
One major defect this cat discerns is that though men seem to be
bosses and actually boss around in offices and homes, it is the woman
who carries the heavier burden. She it is who has to run the home, see
to the children – their education, their employment, their marriages and
eventually take over the caring of their children.
Other South Asian countries
We in Sri Lanka, however, are so much better off than our
neighbourhood sisters. Dowry deaths still occur in rural India; honour
killings are resorted to in Pakistan and Afghanistan and punishments are
mild. In a newspaper on Thursday, March 3, were these headlines: ‘HRW
slams Afghan ‘virginity tests’ as sexual abuse’; ‘Pakistan reports new
‘honour killing’ after Oscars triumph’; and ‘Hopes fade for Suu Kyi deal
as Myanmar hastens presidential vote’.
To take the last first: though Thein Sein is no more the Prez of
Myanmar and its military rule was brought to an end by the landslide
victory of Suu Kye’s National League for Democracy, her being nominated
President seems remote. The rule preventing anyone with a foreign spouse
and/or being a parent of half foreign children forbids such a person
from holding the top post in the country. However, Suu Kyi by her
persistence and fortitude won a major battle for democracy, so winning
this mantle of president won’t be too far away, even if this time she
loses. It matters not much since a member of her party – NLD – will be
nominated President come March 10, the election being brought forward to
thwart Suu Kyi from changing rules.
Pakistani film director, Sharmeen Obald-Chinoy, won the 2015 Oscar
for his documentary on honour killings. Just that day, a father killed
his 18 year old daughter and fled. Her crime: spending a couple of hours
away from home and not explaining to her father her absence. This sort
of brutality is unbelievable. Honour killings do not go unpunished,
thanks mostly to the efforts of Pakistani Prime Ministers and women
protesters, but they still occur far too frequently. The government
cannot come down too hard on crimes of this sort due to religiousness
that pervades every aspect of life and living in Islam states.
The third information this cat noted in her reading of newspapers is
that in Afghanistan virginity examinations are conducted
indiscriminately on women and girls accused of so-called moral crimes.
Human Rights Watch has labelled these invasive tests by government
doctors as tantamount to sexual assault. This sort of government
behavior is to be roundly decried. Afghanistan was supposed to be
improving the position of women after the Taliban with its totally
unreasonable and cruel treatment of girls and women was driven away.
“But gender equality remains a distant dream amid endemic violence
against women and strong patriarchal attitudes.”
This cat surmises that we women in Sri Lanka are much better off
though yet there remain strong biases against women and men commit more
heinous crimes of rape and murder than before. It’s not only that news
gets broadcast and living more difficult with ever increasing
populations. There are other reasons why men are becoming more brutal.
One reason is easy accessibility to drugs and alcohol. This feline
believes the latter is more dangerous: men get inflamed with alcohol and
thus their cruelty to their wives and children. A couple of days ago a
man slit the throat of his 20 year old wife leaving his three year old
child motherless. His reason may have been a minor fault of the wife,
even a flirtation. But he may well be a dissolute and yet expects his
wife to be of pristine purity.
Society needs cleaning up – not only among the disadvantaged but in
higher echelons too. Who bring in the drugs and distribute them? Who
behave so thug-like up there that that behavior becomes a norm and
spreads downwards rapidly, imitated mostly by the underprivileged? This
cat with millions of other cats mewing loud, hopes that this year’s
International Women’s Day will see a greater concerted effort being put
in to improve the position of women across the Board. Madame Chandrani
Bandara, Minster of Women and Child Affairs, has her work cut out for
her. She definitely gives the impression of being efficient and means
business. So we hope the pronouncement made when the Ministry was
inaugurated on 9 September 2015 will be kept strictly in mind and acted
on: “The goal behind the establishment of this ministry is the creation
of Sri Lankan society that is sensitive to the needs of the woman and
child and would work for their betterment to achieve the goal.”
- Menika
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