Intimidation

I continue to be astounded by the ways in which defenseless people around the world, particularly women and children, are intimidated by those who would subjugate them. The killing of schoolgirls in Afghanistan, the systematic rape of women in the Sudan, sexual slavery in Cambodia and elsewhere, arranged marriages and genitalia mutilation foisted upon girls who are still children: these practices derive from an entrenched set of beliefs that view women as objects to be used and then punished for “appealing” to man’s baser instincts or for bringing dishonor to the family. We wring our hands and do what we can to help these women from a distance – money, schools for girls, the occasional award or honor bestowed upon an especially heroic female who has risen above her circumstances to become a spokesperson or symbol. What we don’t seem to be able to do is lay a finger on the mindset that condones harming women. Some of it is about commerce (selling children is a hot business right now) but so much more comes out of a convoluted tangle of perceptions, beliefs and ancient practices. Notwithstanding the superlative set of articles Nicholas Kristof writes on the persecution of women, it doesn’t seem to be a high priority, at least amongst the men in power. That doesn’t just frighten me – it enrages me.

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