Celebrating International Women's day
By Noor ul Haq
13 March, 2012
Countercurrents.org
When the world was celebrating International Women's day on 8th March by organizing programs, seminars, public events and conferences, thousands of women were beaten, murdered, raped and humiliated. Some jailed, some denied the rights and some forced to live their life all alone. And in this case not only the male section but secular and democratic governments are no more less brutal. International Centre for Prison Studies (ICPS) an academic partner of the University of Essex, reported in the second edition of its World Female Imprisonment List that there are more than 625,000 women and girls in prisons worldwide as either pre-trial detainees or convicts. The report, prepared by researcher Roy Walmsley, was conducted in 212 prison systems in independent countries and dependent territories.
Throughout the world we can see women disgraced, molested, harassed and put behind bars for reasons unknown to the world. On one side we fight for their rights, and on the other hand we are the oppressors. In one part of the world we support their cause and in other part we just pass it as if they are not even women. In Arab world, Muslims are blamed to crush the rights of women but in western world when women like Aafia Siddique, Hana Salabali are put behind the bars, raped, abused and left with no basic amenities, then they are just passed as terrorists or a national threat.
Aafia Siddiqui an American-educated Pakistani cognitive neuroscientist who was convicted of alleged assault with intent to murder her U.S. interrogators in Afghanistan. The charges carried a maximum sentence of life in prison in September 2010, she was sentenced by a United States district court to 86 years in prison. She has contracted cancer during her confinement. If there is any law or constitution which provides that much of authority to imprison a 'woman terrorist' for whole of her life, then what about those killer democratic forces of United States of America and their allies who slaughtered young and old in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Palestinian administrative detainee Hana Shalabi is now on the 22nd day of her hunger strike, protesting her treatment during her arrest and over the course of her detention. Shalabi, who was released as part of the Gilad Schalit prisoner swap, was re-arrested by the army on February 16, and has since been held in administrative detention with military authorities claiming she presents a threat to regional security. Shalabi has declared an open hunger strike until her release. Shalabi is also protesting having been strip-searched by a male soldier and abused by other soldiers after her arrest. If Hana Shalabi is a national threat, then what about those Israeli trigger happy killing machines who even do not spare newborn Palestinians kids.
On one side, you advocate reservation for women in Parliament but on other side you make a Kashmiri woman, Syeda Aasiya Indrabi to live all alone without her husband for last seventeen years and still going on. Asiya Andrabi, an Islamic orator, graduated in Home Science from University of Kashmir in 1981 married to Muhammad Qasim alias Aashiq Husain Faktoo, ex-commander of Jamait-ul-Muhajideen. However, the couple couldn’t stay together for long. They were arrested along with their newborn, Muhammad Bin Qasim. They were booked under Public Safety Act and shifted to Jammu Central Jail. Her husband was booked under Terrorism and Disruptive Act and given life sentence. Despite passing of over 17 years in jail, he has not been released yet. Is not separating a woman from her life partner a human rights violation. If not then why to celebrate this women's day?
A country where the head of the state is a woman, there a woman Irom Sharmila is the world's longest hunger striker. Irom Sharmila Chanu, also known as the "Iron Lady of Manipur" or "Mengoubi" ("the fair one") is a civil rights activist, political activist, and poet from the Indian state of Manipur. Since 2 November 2000, she has been on hunger strike to demand that the Indian government repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA), which she blames for violence in Manipur and other parts of India's northeast. Having refused food and water for more than 500 weeks, she has been called "the world's longest hunger striker". And we lavishly spend on celebrating women's day. Is there any law by which we can make a woman to suffer so that she can become world's longest hunger striker.
We admire a woman like the boxer Mary Kom, who is preparing hard for the Olympics, and P. T. Usha, one of the greatest Indian athletes from the state of Kerala often called as "queen of Indian track and field; let us not forget Irom Sharmila of Manipur, or other ordinary women who live daily with violence and the lack of basic infrastructure that could ease their daily burden. Even as we appreciate the women like Indra Nooyi an Indian-born American business executive and the current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo, and other who have clambered up the corporate ladder and made it almost to the top, let us not forget that the majority of women in India who work in the informal sector where there is no job security, no increments, no designations and are always at the receiving end.
Besides celebrating this day, let us try to stop the oppressing hands. Let's stop being a part of this oppression. Let's work for their release. And try to save this weaker section of our society from the wrath of cruel governments and people. Let us learn to respect them for 'She' is a kind mother, a sweet sister, a loving daughter and a caring wife.
Noor ul Haq, New Delhi based freelance journalist.[email protected]
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