Violation of women’s rights is an issue of global concern and affect women all over the world irrespective of age, nationality, race, religion or social status. The most common violation of women rights includes domestic violence, rape, any form of sexual harassment, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, differentiation at leadership positions, coercion, torture, emotional abuse, trafficking among others. They suffer these suffering when they are either in the public or private setup. Since the 1960s, various agencies and movements have emerged to advocate the rights of women. These movements have been working to ensure that women’s rights are safeguarded the same as those of men. However, they have not yet achieved this objective since there are still some situations where women’s rights are violated, although on a small scale. There is a need for everyone to realize that the reasons for women are also human rights.
Keywords: Women’s rights, Violation, Movements
Violation of women’s rights is a universal problem and have been indicated to affect women in every country irrespective of culture, nationality, social status, age or religion. According to the United Nations, violence against women can be defined as any form of gender-based violence, threat, or coercion that causes or is likely to cause in sexual, physical, mental or suffering to women occurring either in public or private setup (Womankind, 2015). The most common violation of women rights includes domestic violence, rape, any form of sexual harassment, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, differentiation at leadership positions, coercion, torture, emotional abuse, trafficking among others. In recent days, a violation against women has also been shown to occur regarding gender inequality especially on a matter about education, marriage, and divorce, access to employment, economic and rights to the property. Violence against women has been indicated as a serious issue which interferes with their fundamental rights as women. For instance, their life expectancy is shortened especially in situations where they are always subjected to domestic violence. It is an issue which has devastating consequences as well as negative impact on the livelihoods of women (Womankind, 2015). Violence against women is believed to happen because women are unequal to men and therefore men tend to presume authority over women. It is a trend which tends to discriminate women by their physical appearance as well as position in the society. However, to reduce violation of women’s rights, there are various agencies and movements which have emerged globally with the aim of uniting, sensitizing and mobilizing women so that they can claim recognition of their rights.
For a long time, the world had been hesitant to consider women as active entities who could make tremendous contributions to the developments of the society. Women were regarded as people of weaker sex compared to men, and therefore their rights inflicted. Violence against women was a serious social problem and occurred in all nations across all boundaries, therefore implying man to be a superior gender. However, things started changing when the world realized that women’s contributions towards achieving a world of democracy were necessary. Their role in the world had become so evident, and fulfillment of their justice required to be considered seriously and required reforms enacted. Recognition of women’s rights started in the English-speaking world after subsequent decades of violation of their rights (Koch, 2015). The 1960s was the time the first international movements started, and they were known as the "feminism" or "women's liberation." Founders of these movements wanted women to be granted equal rights the same as men. The International Council of Women (ICW) was one of those movements and advocated women's rights on a global platform. The movement started with only nine nations, and members were drawn from various professionals' organizations, art groups, trade unions and benevolent societies (Koch, 2015). Various other movements were formed later to advocate for the rights of women. Some of these included the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966 with the aim of bringing equality for all women, the Women of all ages for Women Global (WfWI), The United Nations Human Rights Council, The International Council of Girls (ICW), FEMEN among other movements which operates either on regional or local basis (Koch, 2015).
Presence of agencies and movements have played a significant role in trying to reduce violence against women in many societies globally. Although this problem still exists, the rate of occurrence is lower compared to the time before the movements were founded. The presence of movements and women's rights agencies have assisted in realizing these achievements. Over the years, movements have helped in bringing the issue of violence against women in the public domain. Their position and advocacy have pushed governments and international organizations into positions of recognizing the rights of women and enacting measures to protect women. For instance, it was through the support of women's rights movements that the United Nations declared violence against women as a violation of human rights.
Also, it is through the actions of women's rights movements that governments in various nations have enacted policies aimed at protecting women against gender-based violence. Some of the countries have laws which categorize violence against women a specific crime and therefore prosecute abusers. Also, they have formed public agencies which deal with issues concerning violence against women on small scales as well as raising awareness of the scourge of violence against women. In nations such as Spain, it was through the lobbying by the women's rights movements that the government enacted the Integrated Protection Measures against Gender Violence, which is a law aimed at eradicating gender violence (Cepeda, 2018). Furthermore, it is through movements that awareness campaigns through the media have been rampant worldwide. Since violence against women is deeply rooted in social, cultural and traditions, movements have been utilizing the media to sensitize and raise formal social complaint (Cepeda, 2018). Through media platforms, movements advocating for women's rights have been holding high profile events, debates, and campaigns on issues concerning women violence such as sexual violence and female genital mutilation. The appearance of celebrities in such campaigns have been helpful in creating additional layers of public interest.
Since women violence as a form of gender-based violence is based on gender norms and power inequalities, movements have been advocating for strategies aimed at preventing women from being exposed to gender-based violence. Currently, women and girls have been empowered economically through movements, therefore, gaining bargaining power as well as the ability to abandon abusive relationships. In the past, many societies restricted women from engaging in economic activities. They were supposed to stay at home and look after children while the husband went to work. Women were forced to stay into her marriage even in situations of domestic violence. Through movements, women have also been able to increase their participation and influence in political posts as well as influential bodies mandated with solving conflicts among other humanitarian crises (SIDA, 2015). Women are currently trained on their rights as well as supporting them to occupy a leadership position. Furthermore, through movements, women have been able to obtain women-only safe spaces where they can get refuge after violence. These are achievements which have played a significant role in reducing violence against women in many regions of the world.
Despite all these efforts, we still have instances where rights for women are still violated. Underfunding remain the significant challenge towards ensuring women enjoy similar rights as men. Many movements rely on operate by non-profit organizations and rely on funds from donors and well-wishers. Inadequate funds limit their operations as well as their ability to represent their concerns in courts. Funding also affects their ability to hold sensitization campaigns aimed at enlightening women and society on issues concerning the violation of women's rights. Every human being has rights which require to be safeguarded, but I case of limited resources, attainment of this mandate remains only a dream. Also, the existence of divisions across various movements is a challenge towards eliminating violation of women's rights. Currently, movements which advocate for women’s rights are grouped along the lines of sexuality, ethnicity, race, class among others. Each group concerns only on issues affecting their members. With such divisions, they cannot cooperate and fights for the rights of women. Furthermore, there are various legislation and policies which remain unimplemented which could assist in solving issues associated with the rights of women. For instance, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action which was focused on realizing women’s human rights as well as empowerment has not been achieved in any nation, more than two decades since it was passed (United Nations, 2014).
As a way of achieving their objectives, movements that concerns with women’s rights advocacy require to support one another. There is a need for them to realize they have a core objective and therefore cooperate to amplify their voice as well as share responsibilities. Working together can also assist in reducing the issue of limited funding since they can pool their funds together. There is also a need for them to work together on online conversations so that to be able to amplify the voices of women against violation of their rights. Lastly, there is a need for international bodies such as the United Nations to ensure policies which are already passed but not implemented are worked upon. There is a need for international organizations to recognize the rights of women and protect them similar to human rights. The accomplishment of these recommendations will play a huge role in improving the current situation concerning women's rights violation as well as the performance of movements which advocate the rights of women.
To conclude, violation of women's rights requires to be eliminated. Women are also human beings who are entitled to enjoy the rights the same as men. Furthermore, the United Nations recognize the violation of their rights as an issue of global concern because it has a global impact. In the 21st century, there is a need for everyone to realize that women play a vital role in developments and they can do work the same as men. For any nation to implement the principles of democracy, it must first eliminate the violation of the rights of women living there. Since movements which advocate for the rights of women started in Western nations, the rights for women are more observed compared to other countries were movements began later. Even though movements have achieved a lot as far as women's rights are concerned, they require to act more to ensure all women around the world are treated equally as men. They need to be more vibrant in activities aimed at championing the rights of women. Helping women enjoy the same rights and freedom as men will be a tremendous step towards boosting social and economic developments worldwide. Everyone needs to remember that women are also human beings who also require to be protected against violence or any form or prejudice.
References
Cepeda, I. (2018). Fighting Prejudice: Campaigns on Gender Violence in Spain. Journal of International Women's Studies, 19(6), 17-34.
Koch, C. ". (2015). Movement of Female's Rights in the World. International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding, 2(6), 26-32.
SIDA. (2015). Preventing and Responding to Gender-Based Violence: Expressions and Strategies. Gender Tool Box (Thematic Overview). Retrieved from https://www.sida.se/contentassets/3a820dbd152f4fca98bacde8a8101e15/preventing-and-responding-to-gender-based-violence.pdf
United Nations. (2014). Women's Rights are Human Rights. United Nations Human Rights, 1-109.
Womankind. (2015). Violence against women. Retrieved Dec 4, 2018, from Womankind Worldwide: Equal Respected Proud: https://www.womankind.org.uk/policy-and-campaigns/women%27s-rights/violence-against-women
