The worst places in the world to be born a woman

I am glad that I am an Australian woman where I have freedoms that are not afforded to women in other parts of the world. I am glad that I was born an Australian and that I am a Christian, so that I do not suffer the deprivations that are experienced in other cultures. Women in Australia get paid very well for the work that we are offered. We do in fact have equal pay. For example, as a public servant I would get the same pay as a man at the same level in the public service. Anyone who says differently is talking trash. On top of that as an Australian I had access to good hospitals in order to have my children (just do not mention the bitches who were the midwives at Sandringham hosptial in Victoria).

In countries like Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan, India and Somalia, to be born a woman is a very bad thing. Up until the the Taliban gained control of Aghanistan, the lot of women in that country was not so bad. However, under the Taliban women lawyers and doctors for example, were forced out of the workforce. On top of that the maternity hospitals and other clinics looking after women’s needs were allowed to deteriorate. In some regions girls are forbidden to go to school, and they risk having acid thrown in their faces, or face death due to unknown substances being placed in the pipe system of the school. In the streets the women faced being beaten for showing the tiniest amount of flesh. Things have not gotten all that better since the Taliban were defeated, except of course the women are not beaten for showing a bit of leg or arm. Afghanistan is considered the worst place to be a woman. However, I would have thought that India and Pakistan were worse places. The survey report included the fact that there is a war in Afghanistan but I would discount that factor.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is extremely bad for women, and this is because of the excessive number of rapes that are committed each year. Sometimes the victims are as young as 3 years old. Obviously the DRC has a very lawless society. It is one where the rights of women are neglected.

In a previous post I dealt with one aspect of life in both India and Pakistan where girls as young as 5 are married off. This kind of practice is simply unacceptable. However, in both countries there are other reasons that it is not safe to be born a woman. India has the worst reputation since it has a high level of infanticide of girl babies, as well as abortions for girl babies. Once again, it is unacceptable that these people think that it is ok to murder the unborn. There are multiple problems in these societies that leads to these appalling practices:

1. the dowry system puts a lot of pressure on families with girls. Pakistan has the highest rates of dowry murder in the world.

2. in the villages where there is often the marriage of underage girls they are bartered off sometimes being used to pay back a debt.

3. in India there is a large trade of trafficking in girls, turning them into prostitutes.

Somalia is on the list as a dangerous place for women because there is no antenatal clinics which means that there is a higher probability of maternal and infant deaths than other places around the world.

To the things that were pointed out in the article I would add quite a few more items, including female circumcision. This particular practice is extremely dangerous for girls being born into such cultures. There is an extremely high risk of infection in these girls due to the unhealthy practice. Also, I would add that girls as young as 11 being forced into marriage face even bigger risks. I would add Yemen in with India and Pakistan when it comes to child brides. The risks include damage being done to the girls when their bodies are simply not ready for sexual activity, and they risk bleeding to death as a result of injuries sustained when an older man forces them to have sex.  There are added dangers if they fall pregnant, and having babies when their young bodies are simply not ready, including fistulas.

The ever present dangers are the high levels of maternal and infant deaths because the mothers are way too young to be giving birth in the first place.

Other dangers being faced by women in these countries, especially in African nations is HIV/AIDS. This is probably due to the fact that the men treat women as sex slaves, and in some African nations the women are passed between members of the tribe.

 

 

Child Brides

The problem is not confined to Islamic countries, but it is one that is seen in a number of third world nations where there are Islamics, as well as Hindus.  The National Geographic is once again highlighting the plight of young girls forced into marriage with older men.

The villagers often know that what they are doing is against the law, but they hide and have their wedding ceremonies in the middle of the night. One very distressed 9 year old was married off against her will, and her father threatened to kill her if the police were called.

There are many reasons why these girls should not be married off, and why they should not be forced into sexual intercourse at such a young age. Their bodies are not mature enough to cope with sexual activity. Many of these girls have no idea what is happening to them when they are pregnant and about to give birth.