News update essay

News UpdateThe role women play in our society can not be overemphasized. However, it is an issue of concern to note that women in some societies are not appreciated. In most developing countries, there have been cases of reported rapes or coercion into sex, cases of maltreatment suffered from the men in the society. Oftentimes, the excuse given for these actions is cultural belief, religious belief or societal norm.

For a long time, women in these developing countries have lived as a stranger in their own land. For example, most countries in the Middle East do not believe the some benefits are to be enjoyed by women in the society. This they claim is in accordance to religious laws that sees a woman as a wife and a mother and nothing more. Furthermore, the issue of discrimination and abuse still persist in most developing countries in Africa.

In a recent report compiled by James Read on the BBC website, it was alleged that even five years after the start of the conflict in Dafur, Sudan, there are still cases of women and young girls being subjected to rapes and other sexually related assaults. In a report by a New York based non governmental organization, It was claimed that the rates of rapes and sexual violence in the North African nation has increased at an alarming rate. For us that are here, these are real issues that need real answers.

This rather disdainful act in these parts of the world has not gone unnoticed by the United Nations. In a recent address by the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, at the Campaign to End Violence against Women, he said that “ Violence against women is an issue that cannot wait”. He also asserted that statistics has proved that an average of one out of three women is likely to either be beaten or raped in her lifetime.

The question to ask here is how will this violence cease? This concerns you and me. We should all stand for truth, for justice and for the right thing – afterall the next victim could be your sister, friend or yourself! Reference: United Nation’s Website, http://endviolence. un. org/ retrieved on 15, April, 2008. BBC News website: http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/africa/7333844. stm retrieved on 15 April, 2008