husband because of her bad star). A huge number of women lag behind in access to property,
justice, credit and education.
From times immemorable, women have silently suffered. I call upon every women to feel proud of
being a woman, raise her head high above the ordinary, to live life fully as it comes, fight
injustices done to her and live a heavenly life on earth for women too, are the children of the
Universe who have a divine right to soar high above and live life completely.
If we think candidly, a man is born out of a woman, the mother. If we look at the word MAN and
WOMAN, we can see that even the word MAN is carved out of the word WOMAN itself. A woman
is not only a daughter and a sister but also a mother from whose womb a man is born and who
gives him love, teaches him love and first teaches him the lessons of life. But it is ironical that the
same woman is beaten up, raped, abused sexually, mentally and psychologically by men.
Disregard for girls rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of
mankind. Everyday, stories are heard of bride burning and how innocent, celestial girls become a
victim of abhoration, oppression and being treated as animals and cheap commodities. Women
are repeatedly molested and have been victims of incest. Girl trafficking, assaults and polygamy
are just other examples of violations of women's rights. Women need to be protected against all
these deadly entrapments of society, women need to be respected more, and women need to be
given rights, more decision- making powers, and more freedom.
The scenario in the case of Nepalese women is the patriarchal society where women have been
stolen of their basic rights. They have been denied good education and good learning
environment. Even literate women in some rural areas lose their skills because they have fewer
job opportunities. Surrounded by a film of unreasonable superstitions and blind beliefs on
womanhood which insults womanhood itself, a woman plays the role of a submissive woman
ready to put her husband's needs first before hers and kill her individuality. Generation after
generation, women have been deprived even the fundamental right of education. It is said women
should not learn too much or they might go wild and not obey their elders. It is a must for every
girl to be educated, to utilise her intellectual and productive capacities, and to learn to make her
god-given gift of life a fulfilling experience.
Likewise, the carpet factories, cement kilns, stone quarries, domestic households all have their
own uniqueness but the only sad underlying story that is common to all above is the employment
of young female child workers. The little girl children who instead of enjoying their childhood are
managing their childhood for two meals a day. These child workers live in cramped, dirty houses
which are health wise hazardous, too. These little girls bear their pain in their tender hearts. Many
of the girl child workers working as laborers are often abused and sold off to brothels in India.
Their lissome charm, innocent grace, and purity are monkeyed upon.
Similarly, every minute, girls are being stolen of their virginity, they are being victims of physical
assault, sexual abuse, emotionally hurt, crushed and broken into many pieces. The number of
mentally disturbed women who have been victims of lust is rising at an alarming rate. Many
women are taking their lives out of ignorance, guilt or out of shame and a fear of rejection.
Women have long endured pain and their youthfulness has been fiddled upon.
Culturally speaking, women are placed at a position lower than that of men. Women are looked
upon as second-class citizens who do not get to enjoy many human rights and amenities as men.
If the husband dies soon after marriage, the woman is blamed. The widow is forced to lead an
empty, vapid life. If she carries on a conversation with a member of the opposite sex, she is
labeled as being an immoral, promiscuous woman. Childless women have low status in the
communities, and are regarded with suspicion and fear. In many cases, childlessness is not
attributed to male sterility but to female barrenness. Women want cultural changes that
encompass the basic human rights. Women are crying out for justice! Is there anybody to listen?
It is, however, encouraging to know that times are changing. A girl is now freer to live an
independent life. She is slowly rising above from the ashes of inhumanity and injustice and she is
getting educated. She carries an air of confidence and new found liberty where she dares to
dream and fulfill her ambitions. Her aspirations pronounce her individuality and freedom. She has
to be supported by the society in coming out of the chains of societal evils that had been tied up
for a million years. Shelters, houses, counseling facilities, respect and right to proper education to
arm her with, justice and a decent attitude towards them is what women require. The social
structures should be re-made, revised and revamped so that women too get equal rights and
opportunities to rise above and make a difference in the society. It has to be accepted that
women are mentally, psychologically and mentally power-giants women should never be denied
of rights for a denial of such rights is cardinal sin. It is for the society to bring about changes in the
cultural traditions so that women are not discriminated in any sense and to balance the
imbalances between the rights of men and women in the legal provisions and in the
implementation of law. The society and the state has to ensure rights of the girl child without
discrimination of the girl child, check if infant and child mortality, recognise the right of the girl
child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be
hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education, or to be harmful to the child’s health or
physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development. Finally, I strongly believe that the dismal
state in which many are living today will have to change and will definitely change.
I urge every human being in the society to think about girls rights. I request everyone to sit down
and think what would happen if women disappeared just for one day? A girl symbolises and
epitomises love, courage, talent, compassion and incessant power. It is high time people shed off
the outrageous and tainted prejudice and take off the blindfold through which women have been
looked upon. It is pertinent to understand that women are the indispensable, pivotal factors of the
society. The full and complete development of the country, the welfare of the world and the cause
of peace require the maximum participation of women on equal terms with men in all fields. The
civil, economic, political and social and development rights are universal, indivisible part of
universal human rights. The full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedom by women
and girls must be the priority of the governments. These should be clear guidelines and strategies
to translate the policy objectives regarding girl rights into concrete action.
If the woman is not protected and given rights there will be an adverse impact on the socioeconomy
and the running of the world as whole. Help the girl child, protect her, be there for her
and let her live with the spirit of peace, tolerance, dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity. In
return, she will do the same- she’ll help you, support you, love you and make you realise your
dreams. Help her realise hers and you could spin fabulous dreams together and from there, you’ll
reach utopia free from injustice and the various callous facets of society.
Courtesy
Sancharika Lekhmala/Sancharika Samuha Nepal
