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 Editorials | Opinions | March 2008 
Violence Against Women Common
 BYLINE
Riding the bus just became a nonthreatening experience for some women in Mexico City. In parts of this overpopulated metropolis, women can now get on the bus, alone or with their children, and reach their destination without fear of being harassed or assaulted by men.
The drastic measure of establishing "women only" buses was taken by transportation authorities in the Mexican capital this January to ensure their safety in a male-dominated society where women's rights are scarce. Unfortunately, in most of the world, not much is done to protect women from abuse, and there are alarming facts and figures to prove it.
According to recent United Nations reports, violence against women is the most common but least punished crime in the world. Just a few examples: At least one out of every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime. The abuser usually is a member of her own family.
More than 2 million girls are genitally mutilated each year, at a rate of one every 15 seconds. In India, because of insufficient dowries, about 25,000 brides are burned to death each year by the family of the groom, who is then free to remarry. Between 700,000 and 4 million women per year are forced or sold into prostitution.
These are some of the issues highlighted by women's rights advocates around the world in observance of International Women's Day on Saturday. Of particular concern is the impunity with which abuse of women and girls is treated. In Latin America and the Caribbean, for instance, domestic violence is considered a misdemeanor and not a serious crime, and laws do not protect women from marital rape. In every country in the region, women suffer from acute discrimination in the workplace, according to reports by Human Rights Watch.
One of the countries suffering from this wave of violence against women is Spain, where more than 500 were killed by their spouse or significant other from 2000 to 2007. Just two months into 2008, 14 women had been killed in Spain — four of them in just one day.
But International Women's Day is not just about highlighting the need to protect women and their rights; it's also about celebrating their accomplishments. This year there are more than 400 events in at least 42 countries — dozens of them here in the United States, where Congress has declared March Women's History Month. Many of those events are related to the political accomplishments of women. As a matter of fact, after earning the right to vote, the most important inroads women have made are in education and the political arena.
Of the U.N.'s 192 member nations, 20 of them have female heads of state, including Michelle Bachelet of Chile and Cristina Kirchner of Argentina. In Costa Rica, 38 percent of the members of Congress are women. The vice presidents of Peru and El Salvador are women. In the U.S. for the first time, a woman is the speaker of the House of Representatives, and in the most recent midterm election, a record number of women were elected to Congress: 53 Democrats and 21 Republicans. And of course Hillary Clinton became the first woman with a real shot at the presidency.
It's progress, but not enough when you consider that there are more women than men in the U.S. and that on average, women in this country still earn 77 cents to every $1 earned by men, even though there are more young women than young men with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Women around the world have a long road ahead of them in trying to reach equality and respect for their rights. For now, it's one step at a time. At least for some women in Mexico, the bus ride to their destination will be more tolerable. But watch out once they get off the bus.
Contact Maria Elena Salinas through her Web site www.mariaesalinas.com |
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