Women's Rights Can Be Considered as One of the Most Sensitive Topics - Essay Example

Introduction Women rights can be considered as one of the most sensitive topics for discussion in global politics. Most of the Asian countries had limited rights for women in the 19th and the 20th century. Countries like Afghanistan and Iran had few constitutional and educational rights for women. Afghanistan consisted of some ethnic groups including the Hazaras, Tajiks and Uzbeks. All the groups were the followers of Islamic ideology and they believed in Pardah system for women. Women in this region were not allowed to gain education and they were treated like slaves of Men. Women were even not allowed to attain social forums or talk shows throughout the 20th century. Women employment was not accepted legally and voting rights were also not given to the women of Afghanistan. The trend was also common in other countries of the Middle East, such as Iran. The Iranian women were exempted from social rights like education, marriage, divorce, sports and health rights. The Iranian women were also not given reproduction rights or abortion rights. According to the Iranian law, birth rights and family planning were decided by the males of the society. From the 19th century and throughout the 20th century, Afghan rulers made several attempts to reduce the restrictions imposed on women. Most of the attempts towards the change of women rights were unsuccessful but some of the changes were incorporated successfully, related to health and education. Similarly, the Iranian women played significant role during the Persian Constitutional Revolution for betterment of their social positions and their fight for betterment of women in the society still continues. In the 21st century it has been observed that women of Afghanistan and Iran are allowed to attain education by going to schools and colleges and they are also allowed to get employment. In the later part of 20th century, it has also been observed that Persian women are allowed to take part in journalism courses, which is a positive significance towards the country’s development. This assignment highlights the important changes in women rights that occurred between 2003 and 2014 along with the reasons behind the transformations that happened. The assignment is based on observations collected from important articles. It also contains information provided by theorists and researchers towards the idea of women empowerment and their rights. The analysis is done based on observations collected from historical progresses to the current situations. It is clear that the women rights in Afghanistan and Iran still need further transformations in order to provide parallel positions to the women of these countries. Most of the countries in the world are engaged in development of women rights and their education because a country’s economic and social development is based on women empowerment. This essay discusses about the changes incorporated in women rights for Afghan and Iranian women in the twenty-first century. Discussion This part of the essay will discuss several aspects of women rights in Iran and Afghanistan. Changes in women’s rights in last 10 years Changes in the women’s rights were initiated from the year 1919 in Afghanistan. King Amanullah implemented some significant steps for the betterment of the life of women in the society. The rights of women enhanced in the 20th century significantly. During the end of the 20th century, most of the women were allowed to go to schools and colleges to get education. They were also allowed to work along with men and provide their decisions in family planning matters. The religious political force, Taliban emerged during this period and they started to abuse and torture women against their fundamental rights. The Taliban administrators were poor villagers and most of them were trained near schools of Pakistan. The political leader of the party, Mullah Omar imposed strict laws in Afghanistan just after coming to power. Although women rights allowed them to participate equally with men but the political group had forbidden women to go to work or to get education by going to colleges. Since there were laws that protected the rights of women most of them continued to fight for their rights but they were tortured brutally by the activist group. From the year 2001 onwards women have been taking over employment in government and private sectors of Afghanistan (Marie 188). Previously women were not allowed to be treated by male doctors in the hospitals. However, changes have been observed in the last 10 years regarding medical treatments. Female students are allowed to study with male students and they are working equally with men currently in Afghanistan. After the removal of Taliban administration a new government was formed in Afghanistan and they relaxed the policies around women rights. From the year 2009, onwards women have observed to be driving cars and engaging themselves in social activities. Previously women were not allowed to participate in any kind of social gathering and they had limited rights when they were outside their houses. In the year 2012, a code of conduct was endorsed by President Hamid Karzai according to which, women should not travel without the guidance of a male entity. The rule is still in picture because Afghans believe that it is in line with Islamic law. In Kabul women have access to internet and they are allowed to engage themselves in educational boundaries. Women of Afghanistan are still not allowed to engage themselves in social networking websites and they are restricted from having non-professional conversations with strangers. BBC reported that the reason behind the action was security against bad company. The overall situation for women located in Afghanistan has improved on a large scale in the last decade especially in the urban areas however there are problems associated with women rights in the rural areas. Since 2002, women in Afghanistan have participated in different type of employment opportunities and they have also begun their own businesses by becoming entrepreneurs. For an example, Meena Rahmani was the first women to open a bowling centre in Kabul (Abu-Rabi 78). This shows that in the last decade huge progress has been made in the development of women rights. Significant changes in women rights have also been observed in Iran. The first Iranian women’s movement emerged in the year 1910. Several victories were achieved through the consecutive women movements that occurred between 1962 and 1978. In the year 2000, an effective human rights campaign was observed under the influence of Sussan Tahmasebi. The campaigns appealed before the Iranian constitution for betterment of women rights and reduce the gender inequality. Previously women were exempted from education, healthcare and employment rights however there has been a change in the trend of women rights observed in the last ten years. In the year 2005 and 2006, media focused on the rise of women empowerment due to aggressive movements associated by the Iranian women. The movements initiated by the Iranian women brought great development in the change of rights for women. Previously women did not get equal benefits in insurance claims but after 2007, women are given equal benefits from insurance claims. There have been drastic improvements in case of healthcare insurance policy for women. Previously Iranian women were not allowed to have healthcare insurance policies because of strict laws in the country however lawmakers have reconsidered the inequalities and women are given equal benefits in healthcare insurance policies. Iranian women are also benefited with best medical policies. The improvements in medical rights for women have been implemented in the year 2010 (Tripathi 81). Undoubtedly, there are some policymakers and constitutional members, who oppose the equal rights for women but the protests, had immense positive impacts on the women empowerment and women rights. The emergence of movements by Iranian women also had positive effects on owning property. In the last few years the policymakers transformed the previous rights for women and according to law women can inherit land from their husband. This symbolises the positive effects of the movements in the society. Iranian women have also experienced some negative impacts due to the protests, such as police arrests. The campaign leaders have motivated Iranian women on a large scale and there have been several positive changes experienced by Iranian women from 2007 to 2014. Apart from changes in educational and employment rights women were also given equal opportunities in sports and music fields. In the year 2006, Iranian athletes won five medals for their country, which changed the perception of people regarding women’s ability. Iranian women faced some challenges during the protest movements but the challenges were far less compared to the Afghan women. There have been some significant changes in the life-style of Afghan women but they are abused on a huge scale. Even after the change of the political government women face hardships while enjoying their freedom. The Iranian women are not only allowed to enter stadiums for watching sports in fact they are allowed to participate in the sports programs. Several schools and colleges also invite women on special occasions like Mother’s day. This shows that there have been some significant changes in the women rights of Iran. Why have the changes occurred In the eighteenth and the nineteenth century women had limited civil rights and they were made to suffer desperately. Women exploitation was a common practice until 2001. Political parties and interest groups realised that women were exploited continuously due to limited rights reserved for them. Initially there was no marriage, divorce, voting or even healthcare rights for women. These factors impacted on the life of women and slowly they began to realise that women should be given some basic rights in order to keep them safe from the wrath of the male-dominated society. The Afghan and Iranian women had common problems because both the countries are Islamic countries and they exploited women on religious grounds. The historical revolutions helped the women to initiate further movements and protests for their rights. In Afghanistan the Taliban’s limited the women’s rights during their ruling period of 1996 to 2001. The new government faction supported some women rights for gaining political mileage through women votes after the removal of Taliban rule. Similar instances happened in Iran, initially they were against the advancements of women’s rights but slowly women became important part of the society and political parties wanted to get elected by women votes. There were some external influences also due to which changes occurred in the women rights. External super powers like NATO and USA had significant effects behind the shaping of women rights in Afghanistan (MacQueen 16). Finally, the women of Afghanistan and Iran participated in the women right movements actively, which helped in the progression of the women rights in the countries. The changes in the women right occurred due to involvement of many people in the countries, especially the interest groups of the constitution. Despite the changes in the right of women there are some issues that are still being experienced by the women of Afghanistan and Iran. Important players who drove the changes In the last decade, several changes occurred in the positions of Iranian and Afghan women. After the formation of new government in Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, played a major role in shaping the women rights in Afghanistan. Women were allowed to get education, get employment and participate in sports. The Karzai government also abolished the groups that criticized women participation in social events. From the year 2011 and thereafter, women rights have increased and they have also acquired employment in defence and civil services. Women in Afghanistan have a significantly better rights compared to their life in 2001 (Manske 34). The influence of United States of America in the year 2001, towards women empowerment also helped women to achieve their rights. Lt. Nilofar Rahmani became the first female pilot in the year 2012. From 2012 to 2014 there have been some significant developments in the defence sector of Afghanistan. As of 2011, 8 million students pursued education in Afghanistan and 32 percent of them were females. Zahir Shah’s reign made education as a priority for women. In the year 2013, more than 90 thousand students are enrolled in higher education programs like graduation and masters. Despite the challenges associated with the development of women rights, there were many people who drove the changes associated with women rights and modernise Afghanistan. On the other hand, Iran is very well-known for its movements originated by the women. Sussan Tahmasebi is one of the most important players for changes in women rights in Iran. The political tensions in Iran and Afghanistan are almost similar in the 21st century however there were different ways of approach towards the betterment of women’s position in Iran. The Iranian women were mostly educated and they had started opposing government for unequal rights. Sussan Tahmasebi shaped the ways of approach towards government. Sussan started campaigning in different parts of Iran and spoke to some other campaign leaders as well. She presented the one million signatures campaign to the parliament of Iran and indirectly forced them to negotiate with women regarding their fundamental and social rights. Tahmasebi and her colleagues purposely designed the One Million signatures campaign so that she could carry the campaign without any central leadership (Rpstami-Povey 55). The initiatives of Tahmasebi and her colleagues were very effective in the changing process of women rights. Noushin Ahmadi Khorasani, Sheema Kalbasi, Shadi Sadr and Golbarg Bashi were some other activists who played vital role in the development of women rights. Most of the activists carried out campaigns and presented their demands before the parliament. In the 21st century there are some women leaders also in the Iranian parliament, which helped the Iranian women to modernise and fight for their rights. Ways that made the changes possible Iranian women movements had huge impact on the change of women rights in Iran. The formation of campaigns by women helped them to reduce the conflicts and some of their issues were addressed by the parliament. In Afghanistan the challenges associated with women empowerment were worse. Without the intervention of U.S.A. and U.K. government, success could not have been achieved in enhancing women rights. First of all the U.S. associates had to convince the religious leader of the country in order to reduce the resistance. The brutal ruling party Taliban was removed from power after the deployment of troops in Afghanistan, which had significant effect in the progress of women rights. The new political party had concern over the women rights and Afghan women had become a topic for international debate. Many countries had sympathy towards the conditions of the Afghan women and they took initiatives to provide women equal rights in Afghanistan. RAWA emerged in Afghanistan as the largest feminist group and it was financially supported by developed countries like U.K. and U.S.A. Many people also started to participate internationally in the RAWA and fight against the male dominance of Afghanistan (Moghadam 29). The Iranian movements were mostly regulated by the local women. The Iranian women achieved their rights by constant protests against the political parties. There were many women, who had been sent to correction centres against their methods of protest however the women of Iran were desperate towards their rights and they motivated many men and women in their country. Both the countries had similar reasons for unequal women rights in their society hence the religious leaders played very important role. In the last decade the international projects on Afghanistan and Iran emphasised on women empowerment. These factors helped to enhance the women rights in Afghanistan and Iran. Role of the United States The women of Afghanistan and Iran gained worldwide attention during 1990s. Western feminists involved actively after observing the gender inequalities and ill-treatments women of Afghanistan and Iran were exposed to. The government of United States participated actively in the women empowerment programs organised by Afghanistan’s RAWA. From 1996 to 2001 women had to face many challenges due to religious opinions of Taliban group. The United States attack had a major effect on the social life of people in Afghanistan. The United States deployed forces all over Afghanistan to ensure terrorist activities could be minimised by local terrorist parties. During the period, United States Government also emphasised on women rights and ensured that political parties would provide relaxation to Afghan women. In the year 2002 United States secretary emphasised on medical rights for women. During the conferences held with new political part formed on 2001, United States shared their view on feminism because of constant forces from the Western feminist groups (Monshipouri 99). The United States associates found that without the involvement of the religious groups’ women empowerment was not possible in the society. Hence they started to convince religious leaders for the betterment of the life of Afghan women. The military forces deployed in Afghanistan were not only responsible for maintaining peace in the society; they were also responsible for upgrading the life of people and ensuring women’s safety in Afghanistan. The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan played a major role in providing better rights. The American government observed that there were experienced medical staffs in the Afghanistan but lack of resources resisted the medical developments in the country. The social and political implications of Afghanistan were not supportive to the American government hence they had to provide aid to women in situations containing risks. From the year 2000 to 2013, some significant developments have taken place all over Afghanistan (US Congress 51). Previously the Afghan women were not allowed to be treated by male medical practitioners nor were they allowed to be employed in government and private organizations. The American government realised the reasons behind the lack of participation of women in the society and implemented some methodical steps for betterment of the country’s economy. In the year 2001 Steve Penners was the most dedicated US supporter of RAWA and he had organized many campaigns for the betterment of civil life of women in the society. Though the reforms were actively implemented in the society but it had a little impact on the life of people because of the orthodoxy of Afghan people. The political parties of Afghanistan realized the importance of women empowerment in their country but they did not take sufficient steps to enhance the women rights in Afghanistan. In the year 2013, parliament of Afghanistan denounced the elimination of violence against women because of active interference by United States and un-Islamic foreign projects (Heath 119). The foreign projects aimed to provide better rights and opportunities for women and reduce the dominance of males in the Afghan society. The Iranian women did not get much aid from the United States government directly but there were some significant roles that US government played along with other Western countries for the betterment of Iranian women life. During the initiation of movements by Iranian women Western countries supported financially the women campaigns. The Human Resource of W.H.O. also provided aid to women Protestants during the movements. The movements originated by the women had significant on the political parties of Iran and the parliament. The protests were carried out by women residing in different places of Iran. During the period most of the Iranian women were educated and they knew the consequences of their campaigns (Kitch 31). The women also knew the methods for motivating other women and strengthening their applications. It is clear that the Iranian women were at a better position compared to the women in Afghanistan. The development of the rights of Afghan women did-not occur at a huge scale because of high influence by religious groups and orthodox parties like Taliban. The Iranian women experienced the influence of many female leaders from the beginning of the 20th century. Most of the Iranian women participated in the movements because of motivation from different type of leaders in favour of feminism and women empowerment. Iran was also experiencing international political tensions from the Western countries and the NATO due to which the political government had to change their social conditions (Sweva 62). In the last ten years drastic changes occurred in favour of women rights and they have helped in the betterment of the nation. Significance of the issues There were many issues that surrounded the development of women rights in Iran and Afghanistan. In Israel the religious groups and the male dominated political parties did-not want women to get equal rights in the society because it would result in chaos. Most of the male citizens enjoyed their liberty and treated women to be under them at any circumstances. Iran being economically poor country had low job providing opportunities for their citizens. Men did not want females to get education and grab their chances of employment. Moreover, the country’s moral and ethical values were based on the traditional Islamic following. According to the religious leaders women should not get equal opportunities as men. They also believed that men are the earning member in the society and females are there for their comfort. From the beginning of the twentieth century females were exploited brutally and they were treated more like commodities (Povery 22). The male dominated society also believed that women should not get involved with strangers or even talk to them. Undoubtedly, it was an injustice against the female citizens of Iran. The female citizens were not allowed to study in proper schools or even not allowed to access internet. In the last few years changes have been observed in the Iranian society. Women are getting fair chances for employment and they are also being elected as political leaders. The women rights towards their civil life has also enhanced along with healthcare rights. There are some limitations that still exist, such as women enjoying their freedom or engaging themselves socially (Weiner 43). Women in Iran are still expected to marry a man selected by her father. There are some changes that are still required to be incorporated in order to make the life of women better in Iran. Afghanistan is another country suffering from limited women rights. In the beginning of the twentieth century, there were significant developments in Afghanistan for the women. Women were allowed to study by going to school and child marriages were abolished from the society. The historic rulers of Afghanistan made huge contribution for betterment of the life of women in their society and to make Afghanistan modern. Afghanistan being a Muslim country has similar problems associated with the development of women empowerment. The religious and political leaders are completely against the idea of modernization of Afghanistan. They believe that women in Afghanistan should not be allowed to work or talk to strangers and they should worship their husband. Despite the attempts made by the historic rulers women rights were not incorporated in the society until 2001. The active political group Taliban was ruling Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 (George 12). During this period women were made to suffer widely. Though women had education and voting rights but they were not allowed to use their civil rights. Some women tried to oppose the restrictions and use their rights but they were abused and tortured by the male dominated society. Taliban acted as a resistance in the path of development of women rights. In the last ten years there have been significant developments in Afghanistan but some of the rights are not given to women. The Americans made many attempts to increase the women rights of Afghanistan but they were successful in limited scenarios. Though the active group Taliban does-not exist as a political party but they still create disturbances especially in the rural parts of Afghanistan. In the twenty-first century, Afghani women enjoy their rights of education, liberty of employment and marriage and divorce rights. In case of divorce rights women are required to grant the permission from their husband before they file a divorce against their husband (Joseph 18). Women are still restricted to walk alone on streets stating that it is for their safety and betterment however it pictures the traditional orthodoxy of Afghanistan. The women of Afghanistan have been observed to be participating in political and religious fields but there are only few women who have participated in sports and journalism. The people of Afghanistan have experienced many tough times in the last decade because of deployment of US troops in their country. The law and order of the society was disturbed completely however people have managed to overcome the loss (Esposito 92). The women are still fighting for their rights in Afghanistan. Importance of the changes in modern world The changes that have occurred in the 21st century in favour of women have significant impacts in the world. The countries Iran and Afghanistan are economically unstable countries and there are limited foreign investments in these countries due to political tensions. Emergence of women rights will allow the countries to be economically stable because per-capita income of the countries will rise. Afghanistan is exempted from foreign investments and foreign companies because of high political turbulence (Kelly 69). Moreover, involvement of people in terrorist activities has reduced the value of the country. In order to overcome the present circumstances, political parties must allow women to participate in the employment sectors and business sectors. Women have the ability to handle risk patiently and they can hire people to work in their businesses and help the economy of Afghanistan to grow. The active groups like Taliban can-not help in the development of the nation peacefully hence women must be allowed to get liberty to study and work in their desired fields. It has already been observed that women have participated in the military forces and healthcare sectors however there are many other sectors that do-not entertain women in their organization. Women empowerment is the only mantra that can enhance the social and economic countries of Afghanistan (Banuazizi 72). Iran has similar circumstances like Afghanistan. Though it has been observed that women are participating in many sectors in Iran but they have limited participation in sports. Sports and tourism can be highly important businesses for development of Afghanistan and Iran. It is already significant that U.K earns huge capital because of sports and it also gives motivation to people. Tourism industry is also very favourable for the development of the countries. Dubai is the best example of tourism in the modern world. It has been observed that people from different countries visit Dubai for recreational purposes and Dubai is a Muslim country. The change of women rights can enable Afghanistan and Iran to enhance their present conditions and develop them with respect to business prosperities. Women are good teachers, they are good cooks and they have the talent to heal people. Hence women empowerment will provide fair chance to these countries in order to upgrade their economic conditional as well as change their present social life. For example, the changes in the women rights of developing countries like Pakistan and India have led to emergence of new business ideas as well as new strategies towards economic growth (Hooglund 11). Men and women work together in these countries for betterment of their nation as well as the world. There are several challenges that have surrounded the rural development of Afghanistan but the urban development has already provided the significance of development. The emergence of women political parties in Afghanistan have the authorization to upgrade the life of women in their country and it has made significant development in the country already. Citizens of Afghanistan and Iran have already started to relocate in abroad countries for education and employment and it is a positive significance towards development of the entire world. Conclusion From the above discussion, it is clear that, there have been some significant developments in women rights in Afghanistan and Iran in the last decade. Women of Afghanistan and Iran had been facing many difficulties regarding their civil rights. Though laws had been implemented for women empowerment but they were not followed completely by the people. The dominance of male community in Afghanistan and Iran had been significant but in the last few years some important changes occurred and women were given better position in the society. From 2006, onwards rapid developments have been recorded in Iran due to emergence of women movements. Women were given positions in political parties and parliaments. Significant developments had also taken place in Afghanistan politics. It had also been observed that women were allowed to join defence services and the military power of Afghanistan had been enhanced after the intervention of United States of America. There were many reasons due to which the changes occurred in Afghanistan and Iran. First of all, the emergence of new political party after US military deployment focused on women empowerment. Secondly, protests by women that led political parties to reconsider their national rules and regulations. Spread of education and internet in Iran helped men and women to change their traditional lifestyle and thoughts. Women rights had been limited in the countries for a prolonged duration due to which some people have been used to the present conditions. According to survey poles held by media, only 25 percent men wanted women rights to be enhanced. Most of the population in the country still believe that women should not be allowed to get education or to work parallel with men. There is an economic crunch in Afghanistan and Iran due to which government can-not generate sufficient employment for people but the current job market of Iran and Afghanistan can enhance only by allowing women in the competitive market. It has been observed that women in most of the countries are self-dependent and they are able to earn their own livelihood. Hence women of Afghanistan and Iran can also set an example by entering the current job market and supporting the family needs by earning on their own. The most important development that happened in Afghanistan is the implementation of healthcare rights. According to this right women make their own decision regarding their health conditions and take treatments from any healthcare they prefer. Previously women were not allowed to make their own decisions regarding healthcare hence it was an important achievement. Undoubtedly, the changes in the women rights have developed on a large scale in countries like Afghanistan and Iran. Most of the changes were evident in the last few years and it had significant effect in their economic and social life. Currently, the civic life of people is much better than past. Women have been observed to drive vehicles and go for employment. They have also started their own business and employed men under them which have direct effect on the economy of their country. Therefore, it can be stated that despite the resistance in the Afghan and Iranian society there have been some significant changes in the women rights and the changes have positive effect on their society. Works Cited Abu-Rabi, Ibrahim. The Blackwell companion to contemporary Islamic thoughts. New Jersey: Pearson, 2008. Print. Banuazizi, Ali. 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