4 Major Problems Faced by Women; why Women do not Raise voice and what are the Solutions to the problems?

4 Major Problems Faced by Women; why Women do not Raise voice and what are the Solutions to the problems?

A problem is the name of an undesirable situation that needs a solution. By the way, every human being has to face these undesirable situations in his/her life but there are some problems that only women face. It is important to address women’s problems. And it is also important to know why women do not speak up for themselves and what is the solution to their problems. The answers are below.

Educational Problems

Education is a basic human right for every human being but unfortunately, most women are deprived of this right. Two-thirds of the world’s illiterate people are women. In developing countries, less is spent on education, which leads to a lower share of women’s education. There are only slightly more men than women in the world, and there are also countries with a larger female population. A study by the United Nations identified countries with a high percentage of women. For example, if we describe the population of a few countries, then according to that study, China has a 53% of the female population. In Russian Federation, there is 53.8% of the female population. Estonia has a 53% of the female population. In such a situation, if the majority of the populations of such countries, which are made up of women, are not literate, then such countries will never be able to develop. Girls who live in conflict-affected areas are ten times more likely to be away from school than boys.

There are many countries in the world where co-education is not considered good, parents want to educate their daughters but they do not want to send their daughters to co-educational institutions. Therefore, there should be separate educational institutions for women so that there is no obstacle to their education of women. In some areas, it is thought that girls should not be educated. A big example of this is the attack on 15 years old Malala Yousazai in Pakistan, she was shot just because she wanted to get an education. According to article 37 of the constitution of Pakistan, education is a basic right of every woman citizen, but still, 12 million girls are deprived of education and only 13% of girls reach ninth grade in Pakistan. Pakistan, Haiti, India, Chad, Nepal, and Egypt are among the countries where women are not allowed to get an education. Due to the lack of schools in most countries, schools are far away from girls’ homes, due to which the problem of transportation arises, that is why people don’t like to send their daughters to remote areas because girls are harassed on their way out of school. And sometimes it is the teachers who harass the girls. Women face this problem not only in developing countries but also in developed countries.

Poverty is a major obstacle to women’s education. Due to poverty parents are forced to think that we should feed our daughters or educate them. That is why there is a great need for affordable education for girls. Getting girls married at an early age is also a barrier to education. Girls hardly complete their primary education until they get married. According to the United Nations, 37,000 girls get married under the age of 18.

Safety Problems and Violence

Women’s safety has always been an issue that has not been fully addressed to date. And today, even in the 21st century, women are very unsafe. While in this modern age the situation should be better. But unfortunately, this is not the case at all. On the one hand, it is said that today women have many opportunities for development, but no one protects them to get development opportunities. Whether it is a state of peace or a state of war, women are always concerned about their own safety. Women are harassed in many places in their daily lives. Girls are harassed in the streets, in transport, in public parks, in public toilets, and in places like educational institutions. According to a survey conducted by U.N Women in 2021, 97% of women have experienced harassment. It is often the case that the boys stand in the way, block the path and harass a girl when she passes by using wrong words like ‘hello beautiful. Harassment can be so bad that it can turn into violence against women. Safety problems lead to ‘Violence’. A very worst example of this is the incident of Delhi Gang Rape when four boys harassed a girl, tortured her with an iron rod, raped her, and then killed her. This unfortunate incident took place on 12 December 2012 and the victim got justice eight years later on 20 March 2020. Isn’t this a very long time for “justice”? This is what happens when a crime is committed in a very short time but it takes a long time for the culprit to be punished and the victim to get justice. According to UN Women, 1 in three women experience sexual violence.

That is not all, while man has progressed in almost every aspect of life; man has also progressed in crimes against women. An example of the rise in crimes against women is the discovery of the body of six years old girl Zainab, in the Pakistan city of Kasur. After investigations, it was found that Zainab was murdered after being raped on 4th January 2018. She was kidnaped from the street.

It is not uncommon for women to experience harassment only when they leave the house. Some women also endure violence inside the home. . Many people are mistaken to believe that violence cannot be perpetrated by someone within the families or homes of women. Figures released by the World Health Organization indicate that one in three women, almost 35% of the women around the world have experienced violence by family members or any other person they know.

Women are exposed to various forms of violence like murder, molestation, acid attacks domestic violence, and dowry-related violence by in-laws in case a woman does not bring a dowry to their satisfaction. Violence occurs not just in physical form, but also in other forms like emotional and financial abuse.

There is a myth that harassment or violence takes place because of the victim’s own fault. Some people argue that safety problems depend on the way the women dress up, their marital status, their way of living, their mindset, etc. This argument is incorrect because it puts blame on the victim rather than the offender. Women’s life is considered usually unsafe outside the house. Therefore, women are forbidden or discouraged from stepping out into public places. This concept is incorrect. In any case, both men and women have the equal right to access public places. Therefore, instead of restricting women from public places, emphasis should be placed on making all public places available and safe for women.

Menstrual Problems

Menstruation is an important part of a woman’s life. This is a sign that a girl is ready for reproduction, she can give birth, and “She” is complete. Isn’t it a good thing? Yes, it is. So why this process is considered dirty? Even today, there are countries in the world where menstruation is considered dirty. Indonesia, India, and Nepal are among these countries. People follow a lot of rituals because it is considered dirty. One of them is the Chhaupadi ritual. In this ritual women are sent to huts to be separated during their menstrual period because people think that women are dirty due to menstruation so they should not live with everyone else. Women also die during this time, such as from wild animal attacks or from serious illness, and severe weather. Mikvah is another practice, in which the woman is immersed in water after menstruation, which is proof that a woman is now pure. In many areas, women are not allowed to enter the kitchen during menstruation and are kept away from religious rituals.

Even there are many women who do not have access to menstrual products. Even today 88% of women in India use clothes, ash, and even leaves during menstruation. The use of these things is dirty not menstruation. And that is so unhealthy. Only 36% of women use sanitary napkins and 62% of women use clothes in India. And in Pakistan, 79% of women do not have hygienic menstruation. Not only in India and Pakistan but also in many other countries women use clothes instead of menstrual products in Uganda, Nepal, and Africa. It is very difficult to manage menstrual hygiene due to a lack of proper bathing facilities and a sanitary system.

When a woman’s uterus releases blood, the muscles stretched and sometimes loosen, which causes the woman to have lower abdominal pain which is called period cramps. The pain is sometimes mild and sometimes severe. There is also a need for menstrual education for women. Women will not be able to take better care of themselves until they know enough about menstruation. It is very important to teach menstruation in girls’ educational institutions. But this is not the case at all. Because this is considered an embarrassing topic that no one likes to talk about.

Women Trafficking

Kidnapping women and transporting them from one place to another without their consent is woman trafficking. Sometimes women are forcibly abducted, but sometimes women are abducted using various tactics. Women and girls do not know that we are being kidnaped. Traffickers promise to give women a better life, education, citizenship abroad, and better jobs. Traffickers mostly target women who are already mentally, physically, or financially weak. If a woman is abducted and she is trapped in a women trafficking racket, it is impossible for her to get out. Women’s trafficking is considered a norm in many parts of the world. There are many purposes for trafficking in women like sexual exploitation (pornography and prostitution (commercial sex), forced labor, and domestic work. Many women do not want to become prostitutes but are tortured for prostitution. This is most common in California, Taxes, New York, Florida, Netherlands, Colombia, Brazil, Indonesia, Dominican Republic, Kenya, Spain, and the Philippines. In Dominican Republic, about 60000 women are prostitutes; this is very common in Dominican Republic despite being illegal. When trafficked women made prostitutes, their bids are made, leaving the value of the woman only as much as the goods. In the Philippines prostitution is a very lucrative business. The only purpose behind the trafficking of women is not only prostitution or pornography but the purposes of the traffickers are like the cluster in which live sex shows, exotic dancing, sexual tourism, stripping, and military prostitution are included. Women are also sold and bought for household chores. Of the people who are slaves, 71% are women.

It is not limited to this. All these moments have profound effects on a woman’s life. There is also frequent physical violence against trafficked women. Due to this women get physical injuries like burns, broken teeth, and broken bones. The physical effects of women trafficking on women are visible but the psychological effects (which are caused by daily psychological torture) are not visible but are profound. Most of the women caught in the women’s trafficking racket suffer from mental illnesses such as anxiety, attempted suicide, depression, self-harm, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Victims of severe mental illness suffer from schizophrenia. Research has shown that women who are victims of trafficking are more afraid, isolated, and unstable than those who are victims of other crimes.

Why Women do not raise their voices for their own Rights?

Why is this girl tolerating injustice? Why doesn’t she speak out against the violence that is happening to her? This girl knows that I am being abused but still why doesn’t she speak? Many similar questions come to mind when we see a girl enduring violence. Women face many problems in their daily lives but for many reasons, they remain silent. One of the reasons is that women feel that being a woman is a part of our lives. She believes that women should be the ones to compromise. Most people become blind and dumb and think that this is their personal matter we should not interfere knowing that she is being tortured. Girls are taught from childhood that no matter what happens; a girl should not stand up for their rights. Women are the only ones to endure. Because of this thinking, girls start self-blaming. She thinks maybe I should change my attitude, I must take it from another perspective. Behind the violence of married women is the lack of support from their native families.

Women are always judged as good women and bad women. According to society, a good woman is one who endures everything quietly and never speaks for her rights. And women do not want their fingers to be pointed at them, so they remain silent.

What is the Solution?

There is not only one solution to solve this problem, there may be many solutions, but these steps are not implemented. The solution to these problems should be sought from the childhood of girls. Education for girls is the first and foremost step and education should be universal. It should be included in the girls’ curriculum that it is very important to speak out. Women must know their rights. It is also important for men to take care of women’s rights. Because men are more influential in society. Movements are very important for women’s rights such as the “#MeeToo” movement in the US, which started in the U.S and began in other parts of the world. As long as one girl does not speak up for her rights, no one else will stand up for her. The woman herself has to be strong. Women should strengthen each other. People should donate to organizations that work for women’s rights. Marches and protests should attend so that women’s voices can be heard in every corner.