By. Y. UMUHUZA MUGISHA, JadeTimes News
Women and Girls' Rights in Asian and African Cultures
The rights of women and girls in Asian and African cultures are, as a matter of fact, shaped by a complex web of history, social, economic, and cultural factors. The two regions are uniquely distinct in their practices and beliefs in a way that their various common challenges and strides in advancing the rights of women and girls are brought to light. This has normally reduced women and girls to slave-like opportunities and subordinate self-regulation in most Asian and African societies. In the recent past, however, a great stride toward gender parity was attained through grassroots movements and international human rights advocacy.
Women and girls within most parts of Asia lead their lives culturally predetermined, in which traditional roles limit them to the confines of the home, with inhibition to access education, health, and economic opportunities. For example, in South Asia, culture practices such as early child marriage and dowry deeply and negatively dictated the freedom and rights of women and girls. However, these practices continue in certain areas out of deep-rooted cultural norms and mores, as well as being prohibited by law. In fact, recent years have witnessed visible progress in the region, where female literacy rates are rising, access to education is becoming easier, and women's participation in the workforce and politics is gradually increasing. Countries like Bangladesh and India have seen huge movements for the rights of women, which resulted in—the first one at least—changes in laws and a higher level of awareness regarding equality between sexes.
This is as well quite complex in Africa. The rich cultures of this continent have been patriarchal and have upheld traditional views pertaining to gender roles, largely to detriment to the woman. These include but are not limited to female genital mutilation, early and forced marriages, and gender-based violence. These practices are not only deplorable but also infringe upon various human rights. There has certainly been a great opposition to the practices from within the continent itself, with many women involved in fighting for contravention of the same. Reforms in law and advocacy, besides widespread campaigns, have all played critical roles in changing the mindset over these years and thus protecting women's rights.
The prime force towards women and girls has been education in both these parts. Empowered through education, girls are more informed about their rights and can make sound choices on their lives. Education also performs a prime task of challenging injurious cultural practices and changes them. In fact, across Africa, campaigns to end child marriage like that done by the African Union have ensured that girls are in school. Equally, its programs for girls' education and women's entrepreneurship in Asia had led to positive results and reflection toward an improved status of women in society.
However, the fight for women's rights in Asia and Africa is quite deep within the respective continents. Gender-based violence is rife in these continents, while violence against women and girls in both domestic and public settings is at its highest. Legal protection, though available, is still not well enforced. More so, economic inequality remains a huge barrier because women are known to have less access to many resources and opportunities that would ideally have mirrored support for them.
In summary, although traditionally shackled by Asian and African traditions, slowly over the past half-century, the tide has begun to turn and the impediment to gender equality gives way before the onrush of enacted laws, education campaigns, and just plain hard work of activists and organizations working with women's issues. Still, much is yet to be done for women and girls in these regions to enjoy their rights and freedoms to the fullest. It takes a journey towards gender equality, one that continues to demand an ever-relentless commitment by governments, civil society, and international bodies if the deeply entrenched cultural norms that continue to retard the rights of women and girls are to be overcome.
