Women's History Month: A Time to Reflect

Unequal pay. Domestic violence. Job discrimination. Unequal opportunity to education. Genital mutilation. These are just samples of the ongoing list of issues women have to face today.

 I thought it would be appropriate to have my post for the month of March to be one dedicated to the Women’s Rights Movement, as it is Women's History Month. Even though I started this post from a negative angle, I must also shed light to recent achievements of women and the Women’s Movements. In the United States, Congress has achieved its largest number of women within the Senate. Women in Saudi Arabia were finally granted the right to drive. Women, all over the world, are becoming stronger, more prominent members of society. These achievements are not only a testament to the resilience of the Women’s Movement, but also reflect a shift towards a more equal future.

 The Women’s Rights Movement is more relevant than ever. A plethora (and I mean a plethora) of sexual harassment cases have surfaced the media. The accused sexual violators range from prominent movie producers to Hollywood actors to former politicians to journalists. It is not ironic that the violators in the sexual abuse cases tend to be powerful individuals. Many of the victims of these cases may have felt like their accusation of the violators would simply be muted by a set of prominent lawyers. Considering the violators powerful roles, it has required every ounce of courage for the victims to speak up.

 For example, over 150 women accused Larry Nassar, a former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor, of sexual harassment. He has since been sentenced to up to 175 years in prison. Like many Americans, I watched the testimonies of the victims with a heavy heart. Many of the girls admitted to a life of mental health complications due to Nasser's actions. Others mourned the loss of their childhood innocence. It was difficult to watch, but necessary to watch. The testimonies surfaced the emotional trauma caused by sexual abuse.

 Again, courage was necessary for these women to testify before the man that violated them. This courage will hopefully empower victims, all over the world, to speak up when they encounter abuse. Let’s put an end to gender-based harassment, violence, and discrimination in order to promise a more equal future.

Mohamad Jaafar
CASL student majoring in Communication and Political Science