In cultures that adore sons more than daughters, a girl child has often been considered less favoured. Discrimination against women has been in society for ages and can be traced to deep-rooted social values in a male-dominated society.
Even now, in the 21st century, the status of women has not remarkably improved. They are often discriminated against, for no fault of theirs. The discrimination stems not only from legislative inefficiency but from the attitudinal bias of society, too. Contemporaneous legislation, laws, treaties and conventions have unequivocally established equal rights for men and women as a global norm. In spite of all this, discrimination continues and the perception about women remains the same.
Gender inequities throughout the world are among the most pervasive, though deceptively subtle, forms of inequality. Gender equality concerns each and every member of society and forms the very basis of a just society.
Human rights issues, which affect women in particular, play a vital role in maintaining peace and prosperity in a just society. It is an established fact that women represent half of society. Therefore, social change must take place to give women a voice. The last decade of the last century has seen a growing recognition of women’s rights, as human rights have become an integral and indivisible part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Gender injustice could be attributed to an unequal power equation in gender relations. Patriarchal societies, considering women’s household work as economically insignificant, preference for the male child, or a lack of legal awareness among women, could aggravate the situation.
Neither the term ‘gender justice’ nor the struggle for it is new. What has intensified in recent days, is the awareness of issues related to gender bias. Increasingly, people are realising that crimes against women must be handled with greater sensitivity and women, as seekers of justice, must be treated with due regard.
Every effort must be made to ensure that the girl child is treated as an important member of the family. We must instil confidence in women to change their image. Men should bring about a change, by empowering the women in their families. Since men have glamourised the role of strength and masculinity, I think the strongest influence must come from them. Both men and women will have to contribute to achieve these objectives.
International laws have to take into consideration that there should be no neat divisions of labour between men and women. Women’s rights do not appear prominently on national or international agendas. It is high time that rights for women are accorded due priority.
The reader is a student based in Dubai.
