The scars we don’t see: Unmasking everyday violence against women
Yiaku Laaikipiak Trust director Jennifer Koinante (second left) joins a dance during the Yiaku Integrated Cultural Centre in Mukogodo Forest. The main root of crimes against women is the patriarchal mindset of society.
What you need to know:
- Women face systemic inequality, violence, and discrimination despite constitutional rights guaranteeing freedom, dignity, and equal opportunities.
- Patriarchy fuels gender-based violence, economic dependency, and limited opportunities, demanding urgent legal enforcement and social mindset change.
Morally speaking, women deserve equal rights and opportunities. This is comparable to most previous civil rights movements. Equality is crucial because everything matters, and everyone should support them.
Our society is beset by unresolved realities. This face looks scary, ugly, and violent. Even in this modern era of the 21st century, women's safety and dignity remain a serious challenge. Kenya's Constitution and laws support gender equality, yet challenges persist in attaining full equality for women. The Constitution ensures equal rights and freedom from discrimination, providing equal opportunities across political, economic, cultural, and social areas. Women continue to encounter gaps in jobs, pay, and leadership roles.
The terrifying face of reality for many women is complex and layered. Harassment, poverty, stigma, structural violence, human rights violations, gender inequality, domestic violence, molestation, rape, and online bullying have become daily news. These issues are bold living proof of the failure of our social structure, where women are considered weak and just an object; it is natural for violence against them and interpersonal abuse to combine to increase their risk of acquiring the virus, worsen symptoms, and restrict access to proper healthcare after infection.
Today, no newspaper, TV channel, or social media is complete without news of crimes against women. These crimes come in many forms. Rape and Sexual Harassment: Rape is not just a physical attack but a deep wound on the soul and self-esteem of a woman. Incidents like sexual harassment and molestation at the workplace create fear in the minds of women and limit their freedom.
While those domestic violence crimes happen behind closed doors. Physical, mental, and emotional violence perpetrated by husbands or family members makes a woman's life hell. Due to social pressure and economic dependence, most women endure all these abuses silently.
Although gender inequality is a significant factor contributing to the problem, the main root of crimes against women is the patriarchal mindset of our society, which considers men superior to women. This inequality is visible in every sphere of life. Even today, we live in the 21st century, but there is discrimination in upbringing. Even today, in most families, the birth of a boy is celebrated, while the birth of a girl is kept quiet. Boys are given freedom, independence, and better food, while restrictions are imposed on girls.
Read: Culture or progress? How women are redefining 'traditional' values without losing their heritage
Furthermore, many families prioritise the education of boys over that of girls. Girls are forced to drop out of school for housework or early marriage. Moreover, in the employment sector, women often receive lower wages, despite doing the same work as men. They also face many obstacles in reaching higher positions.
Girls' health and diet are often ignored, making them vulnerable to malnutrition and anaemia. While freedom to make decisions—women's opinions are ignored in important decisions at home and in society, even if those decisions are directly related to their lives. Also, another struggle they face is economic dependence: when women are economically dependent on others, it becomes difficult for them to raise their voice against the oppression they face.
While looking for the solution and way forward, a multi-pronged approach is needed to tackle this serious problem—such laws made for the protection of women should be strictly implemented without any bias. The culprits should be punished quickly and severely so that an example can be set in society.
The primary need is to change the social mindset. Children, especially boys, should be taught to respect women and the importance of gender equality in schools, colleges, and homes. It is crucial to make women economically independent. When a woman is financially strong, she is able to raise her voice against the injustices happening to her.
The whole society, not just the government or police, is responsible for women's safety. It is the duty of every citizen to raise their voice against violence or injustice occurring anywhere. The only ray of hope in this darkness is the education of women. The saying is absolutely true that 'when a man studies, only one person is educated, but when a woman studies, an entire generation is educated.'
An educated woman is not only aware of her rights, but she also becomes financially independent and able to make her own decisions. She takes better care of her family and provides excellent education and culture to her children without gender discrimination. In this way, she plays a key role in creating a progressive society.
Surjit Singh Flora is a freelance writer and journalist who lives in Brampton, Canada.
