Girls in War essay

It is known that poverty and inequality are acute social problems in today’s world. The feminization of poverty is a growing concern globally because women and children are the fastest growing demographic of humans in poverty worldwide. The term feminization of poverty means that “a large proportion of the poor around the world are women”, according to Amy Lind and Stephanie Brzuzy (2008, p. 188). The reasons for the feminization of poverty include political and cultural factors. Women in the underdeveloped countries have always been exploited not only by the global economic structure, but also they have been “oppressed by the indigenous male bias” (Raines & Maguire, 2001, p. 225). In addition, women have been affected by war. According to Radhika Coomaraswamy (2009), women in underdeveloped countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, Liberia, Congo, Columbia, Gaza and others, have been affected by war actions in different ways: they have been victims of direct violence and sexual violence, and acted as combatants in war. Moreover, they have been trafficked and exploited. The major goal of this paper is to explore the unequal status of women in underdeveloped countries that contributes to problems such as exploitation, domestic violence, conflict, infant mortality, sex trafficking, and a compromised quality of life.

The Social, Economic, and Political Problems that are Facing Women in the Underdeveloped Countries

There are a number of social, economic and political problems that are facing women in the underdeveloped countries. These problems include some specific problems women face in their daily lives in the areas of education, employment, family and marriage, as well as a number of controversial issues involving women, such as “abortion, female genital mutilation, honor killings and property rights and inheritance” (Kinnear, 2011, p. 35). According to Radhika Coomaraswamy, the majority of women and girls in underdeveloped countries are affected by war actions that occur on the territory of the country. The author of the article states that “girls are often raped or violated in situations of conflict” (Coomaraswamy, 2009, p. 1). Raping girls and women can be viewed as a special military strategy that major goal of which is to terrorize and humiliate local population.

One more problem for women in underdeveloped countries is that many women and girls are recruited into fighting forces as soldiers. Some of the girls have to play two roles: as sex slave and as a child combatant. Another problem is that girls are often trafficked and sexually exploited in situations of armed conflict (Coomaraswamy, 2009).

The Major Factors Contributing to these Problems

in Afghanistan

One of the major factors contributing to social, economic and political problems of Afghan women is political regime. It is known that the Taliban’s reign of terror began in 1994. In 1996, Afghan women lost their freedom. Benazeer discusses the role of women in Taliban’s society. It was declared that Afghanistan would be ruled in accord with Shari’ah law (Benazeer, 2004). Women were forbidden to work outside the home, and had no rights to get education. In addition, they were introduced harsh dress code requirements, such as burqa. In the following years, the Taliban continued to impose new restrictions on women. They had no right to travel alone, but only alongside with a male relative. Those women, who violated the established rules and regulations, were severely punished. The punishment included whipping, public stoning, and other forms. Today’s political regime is better, but it is still ineffective for women because it does not guarantee equality to women. For example, the government has failed to provide even minimal security to the Afghan woman and girls and many crimes often go unpunished.

The other important factor that contributes to the growth of social, economic and political problems of women in Afghanistan is ineffective feminist movement which do not provide effective struggle of Afghan women against human rights abuses. Although in Afghanistan, there has been an organized feminist struggle by such group as the Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan, the major goal of which was to promote women’s rights and democracy in the country, many Afghan women opposed their involvement in social and political activities against the government of Afghanistan, according to Amy Lind and Stephanie Brzuzy (2008).

One more factor that influences the major decisions of the government about women’s rights is the country’s cultural and religious traditions. These traditions play a significant role in the position of Afghan women in the society. According to Sakeenah (2009), “patriarchal attitudes against women lie in the root of the discrimination faced by women”(p. 29).

Some Proposed Solutions to Mitigating the Inequality

and Improving Overall Status of Women in Afghanistan

The oppression and discrimination of Afghan women since the fall of the Taliban government has generated a number of important recommendations from different international human rights organizations. The majority of human rights organizations state that “the Afghan government must not only do its best to comply with the international human rights treaties, but also to improve security throughout the country” (Benazeer, 2004, p. 282).

Additionally, it is necessary to develop and implement the appropriate strategies for women to improve their constitutional rights in the society of Afghanistan, including freedom of expression, their rights to employment, education and privacy and their overall status. Although today, the status of women in Afghan society has changed, there are still a number of unsolved problems. It is known that under the new Constitution, women were given the rights to vote in elections, serve in the government and be elected in the parliament. Women and men should have equal rights; that is why it is necessary to control the situation in the country.

Moreover, it would be better to improve criminal justice system in Afghanistan. It is the duty of law enforcement to protect women and girls from abusers. Prosecution for rape, family violence and gender discrimination should be severe. Today in many parts of Afghanistan, “women have stated that the insecurity and the risk of sexual violence they face make their lives worse than during the Taliban era” (Sakeenah, 2009, p.17).

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is necessary to say that women’s rights have always been limited in the majority of underdeveloped countries. In Afghanistan, unequal status of women contributes to such problems as exploitation, domestic violence, sex trafficking, and a compromised quality of life. The major factors that contribute to these problems include political regime, cultural and religious traditions and ineffective feminist movement. However, it is possible to improve the overall status of women in Afghanistan. In order to do it, the government of Afghanistan should comply with the international human rights treaties, improve criminal justice system, women’s constitutional rights and provide total control in the country which will help to avoid discrimination of women and violence towards women and girls.