December 08, 2019

The paradox of perceived women rights in the divided world

topic:	Women's rights
located:	India, USA, Saudi Arabia
editor:	Shadi Khan Saif

Let’s contemplate for a moment why women and girls aren’t still safe be it on the dark and narrow alleys of developing countries such as India or even on the bustling boulevards of world’s biggest economy such as the U.S.?

Denial of the grimness of this issue at these places is the first reason.

As the so-called free and liberal world remains embroiled in stereotype women rights matters, such as the right to drive a car for the Saudi women and the right for their Iranian peers to watch a football match, the cases of rapes and denail of other basic rights for women on the other side of the perceived divide are often taken as the ‘new normal’ in places like let's say India and the U.S.

With due regard to all the rights and liberties of women across the globe, the rape cases that has more often than not led to gruesome murders, particularly in India and elsewhere, need equal if not more robust condemnation.

Many thought the bitter memories of the infamous New Delhi incident when a young university student was gang-raped and killed by a group of men on a bus in 2012 would serve as catalyst to curb this issue for good, but alas. Nothing has changed, and the often-perceived law-abiding Indian society is now dejected to the limit they are in favor of mob-justice.

Last week, Indian police shot dead the four men accused of the brutal gang rape of a young vet in Hyderabad in circumstances that have been described as “suspicious”. This rape and murder case prompted a wave of public vitriol across the country, with thousands taking to the streets in protest and calls from politicians and the public for the men to be lynched.

In the same week, the ride-hailing service, Uber disclosed that 3,045 sexual assaults occurred during its trips last year alone in the U.S. Of the 3,045 reported sexual assault cases in 2018 (up from 2,936 in 2017), Uber said 235 were rapes and the remainder were varying levels of assault.

The paradox of perceived women rights and safety in our seemingly divided world are leading us nowhere, but towards ignorance and savagery.

Let us take a uniformed approach in condeming the injustice in all forms, everywhere.

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