Women are Humans too!

We’ve all heard of the term Human Rights haven’t we?

Well basically…

A human right is a fundamental right that is enshrined in the Constitution of a country. It grants the ‘people’ their basic rights and freedoms without any discrimination on the basis of religion, gender, nationality, caste, creed or color.

‘People’. The very mention of the word stands inclusive of both men and women alike, that like every man, the right of every woman is also ensured, uplifted and protected.

This may sound pretty much assuring yes? No form of gender-based discrimination or gender inequality, men and women are treated with dignity and children’s interests are considered our first priority.

But let’s face it. Every 7 second, a girl under the age of 15 is married off. She is robbed off her childhood and exposed to experiences that her young mind and body is not ready for.

Traditional, conservative mindsets assume the girl child to be pretty costly to feed, clothe and to educate. What’s worst? She will eventually leave her home, so why spend for her? Coupled with poverty, lack of education and the belief that child marriage offers protection to premarital sexual activity, the girl child becomes a victim of child marriage. She is considered a financial burden to the family and is married off as a product for sheer economic need. How? Marriage brings in dowry. Adding up to the contributing factor, the younger the girl, the higher the dowry, the sooner the financial expenses on the girl lifted and eventually lesser mouths to feed.

Marrying off a girl child at an early age exposes her to experiences that the young mind cannot adapt to and the body not ready for. She is forced into situations that hamper her mental, physical and psychological well being. She eventually takes the role of a wife, a domestic worker and above all, a mother. In such a process, she loses her very own childhood opportunity to play, to make friends, to live her dreams, to make the most out of life and most importantly, to learn.

Teenage pregnancy is another of the effects of early marriage that poses a serious risk to both the mother and her baby. Teenage child bearers unsurprisingly go through serious mental and physical illnesses, isolation and depression during pregnancy because their bodies are too young to adjust to the changes, often putting their own lives and the lives of their child at risk.

Even as I am typing this down, millions of girls across the world over are being discriminated and their rights violated. A healthy, safe and friendly environment that could have otherwise allowed them to feel at their best and to live their hearts out are being taken away, leaving them in the shadow of darkness where life becomes meaningless and their future, uncertain.

Women discrimination is a persisting issue. No matter the efforts contributed to ensure a better life for girls and women alike, their rights continue to be violated. Millions are forced into trafficking as laborers or sex slaves, millions have been used in sexual favors for money, millions lack access to education, healthcare and other essential services, many are discriminated at work, many are separated from their families on unjustified grounds and for the majority, the question of identity does not even arise.

Every girl child needs to be heard, protected and loved. She is as human as every other boy child is. She is not an object, she is not a commodity. She deserves to live her life to the best of her ability with her rights assured and her freedom guaranteed. She deserves a healthy environment where she can grow and develop into a woman, a woman worthy of respect!