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Human Rights Project Rough Draft

I.

Introduction

Geeta Mohar was asleep with her infant daughter when her spouse poured acid on them both
because he wished to have a son instead. The baby was killed, while Geeta lost her sight. This changed
Geetas life forever 1 and sadly this is a very common occurrence as over 1,000 women are victims of
acid attacks annually. 2 This is only one of the many ways women are discriminated against in India.
Women have never been seen equal to men. This right is being violated every day from unequal pay all
the way to men getting away with rape and domestic violence.3 Throughout the world, women are
standing up to domestic violence in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence act. In India the
Mumbai Violence Against Women Group held a concert to spread awareness around the world 4 to
bring up the true issues being hidden by the sexism and discrimination in India.

II.

Historical Background of Human Right

Throughout the world women have been discriminated against and are seen as less deserving of
equal rights than men are. India, especially, shows this inequality and discrimination ever since the cast
1 Burke, Jason, and Sutirtha Sahariah. "India's Acid Attack Victims Unite against the Horror of Their past." The Guardian.
August 19, 2015. Accessed March 23, 2016. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/20/indias-new-hope-for-victimsof-acid-attacks.

2 Goldberg, Eleanor. "Why Acid Attacks On Women Are Still Happening, And What Must Be Done To Stop Them." The
Huffington Post. Accessed March 10, 2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/05/acid-attacks-womenindia_n_4220712.html.com

3 Townson, Peter. "Drawing Indian Issues." Drawing Indian Issues. April 28, 2015. Accessed March 08, 2016.
http://www.dc4mf.org/en/content/drawing-indian-issues.

4 Rashi, Anu. Gender Discrimination in India and Its Solution International Journal of Multidisciplinary Approach &
Studies. Jul-Aug2015, Vol. 2 Issue 4, p169-173. 5p. Accessed March 10. 2016

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system to now. Kanika Mishra, an artist based in Mumbai, India has been making political cartoons to
show this divide and inequality between sexes. She herself has experienced violence and inequality
towards women, and wants to put forward insight for those who do not understand that discrimination
against women is a problem. One of her works shows four men brutally slaughtering, and a woman with
an elderly man at the bottom right shrugging his shoulders saying, Boys will be boys, they make
mistakes5 This evidence is an exaggeration of how men get away with so much just because they are
male. These mistakes are not only unacceptable but is undoubtedly ruling society. The artist needed to
exaggerate what was going on to get peoples attention so they can realize that there are monumental
issues being neglected. Women are Global education is an abused human right, and in India, women are
deprived of this. Not only is education hard to access for women, but is more expensive for them as
well. Sushrut Desai speaks of this in his journal when he writes, In India's most depressed regions, the
probability of girls getting primary education is about 42 per cent lower than boys, and it remains so
even when other variables, such as religion and caste, are controlled. 6 Women are not given fair
opportunities to have the ability get a successful job in the future. If women are not provided with
education how are are they expected to know what to do when faced with that task.
This is all on the surface, Anna King Murdoch tells the Untold Story [of India] . She brings
light to the darkening truth that cruel treatment is not the only thing India tries to hide. ONE quarter of
the 12 million girls born each year in India don't live to see their 15th birthday, according to a Times of
India report last month.7 The reason for this is gender discrimination. Sadly a common occurrence for
5 Townson, Peter. "Drawing Indian Issues." Drawing Indian Issues. April 28, 2015. Accessed March 08, 2016.
http://www.dc4mf.org/en/content/drawing-indian-issues.

6 Desai, Sushrut. "Gender disparity in primary education: the experience in India." UN Chronicle Dec. 2007: 44+. Student
Resources in Context. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.

7 Murdoch, Anna. "India - the untold story." Age [Melbourne, Australia] 4 Aug. 1995: 15. Student Resources in Context.
Web. 10 Mar. 2016.

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deaths in India are because of dowry murders. Anna King continues her to convey her thoughts when
she remarks, ...dowry murder is a misnomer, she says. These murders are usually the result of
domestic violence and discrimination. An example of the torture the Indian women face leads to most
bodies being found, burned. The reason you see more charred bodies is that it's an attempt to cover the
evidence. They want to pass [the murders] off as suicide This is because if you char your body it
traumatises the whole neighborhood and stigmatises the family. 8 Not only are famies striped of their
daughters but left to grieve over an overlooked murder. India only sees this slaughter as a misnomer, or
mislabeled crime. Those 3,000,000 girls are not merely being deprived of the basic right to life but being
massacred just because they are female.
III.

Modern Day Responses

Gender discrimination around the world is still an issue, but is improving everyday. Wherever
people go in the world,, including America, gender inequality is present. According to The International
Business Times, women get paid seventy nine cents for every dollar a man makes. Yearly, if a man is
making $50,000, about $25 per hour, then a woman makes $20 an hour (rounding up) ,making about
$41,600 a year. This is showing a difference of $8400. Obama has been pushing toward equal salary to
end gender discrimination with the Paycheck Fairness Act that was just passed in congress.9
Even though the United States is pushing toward gender equality, India has been struggling. Ever
since the early time of India, women have always been deprived of the same rights as men. These
including the right to vote, the right to property, and the right to education. These limitations also limit
job opportunities. The first movement for equality was in the 1800s. This movement introduced co-

8 IBID
9 Glum, Julia. "Gender Wage Gap 2016: With Lilly Ledbetter, Obama Urges Equal Pay For Women, Proposes More Data
Collection." International Business Times. January 29, 2016. Accessed March 30, 2016. http://www.ibtimes.com/genderwage-gap-2016-lilly-ledbetter-obama-urges-equal-pay-women-proposes-more-data-2286172.

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educational studies which was being offered for the first time. Laws were also passed to allow women to
keep their possessions after marriage such as their property. Even though more job opportunities opened
for women, they were still seen as less capable than men. Rahi explains how about how even though
women were given a presence in the workforce, they were still seen to have responsibility for
housework and taking care of the family. Rahi touches on the very important topic of equality vs. equity.
She explains the importance of howGender equality requires equal enjoyment by women and men of
socially valued goods opportunities, resources and rewards. 10 Not only do women need to be seen as
equal but it has to be sincere in order for the women to completely feel as if they are given the same
opportunities as men.

IV.

Conclusion: Recommendations

Gender inequality is all around the world, and is present in India especially. Acquiring the correct tools
in making such a drastic change will be difficult but small steps can be taken in order to create a better,
more equal world. These steps include: self defense lessons available for all women in order to protect
themselves from domestic violence, free hotlines and panic stands that women can call with concerns.
Women need to be able to feel safe in their own homes. Not only would this give them protection but
would scare men. Giving women the fair opportunities to be in positions of leadership in order to give
women a voice. This would bring forward new ideas and end a bias of gender. It is time to put an end to
discrimination around the world and it starts with recognizing that women are humans too.

Works Cited
Burke, Jason, and Sutirtha Sahariah. "India's Acid Attack Victims Unite against the Horror of Their
past." The Guardian. August 19, 2015. Accessed March 23, 2016.
10 Rashi, Anu.

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http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/20/indias-new-hope-for-victims-of-acid-attacks.
Goldberg, Eleanor. "Why Acid Attacks On Women Are Still Happening, And What Must Be Done To
Stop Them." The Huffington Post. Accessed March 10, 2016.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/05/acid-attacks-women-india_n_4220712.html.com
Townson, Peter. "Drawing Indian Issues." Drawing Indian Issues. April 28, 2015. Accessed March 08,
2016. http://www.dc4mf.org/en/content/drawing-indian-issues
Rashi, Anu. Gender Discrimination in India and Its Solution International Journal of Multidisciplinary
Approach & Studies. Jul-Aug2015, Vol. 2 Issue 4, p169-173. 5p. Accessed March 10. 2016
Desai, Sushrut. "Gender disparity in primary education: the experience in India." UN Chronicle Dec.
2007: 44+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.
Murdoch, Anna. "India - the untold story." Age [Melbourne, Australia] 4 Aug. 1995: 15. Student
Resources in Context. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.
Glum, Julia. "Gender Wage Gap 2016: With Lilly Ledbetter, Obama Urges Equal Pay For Women,
Proposes More Data Collection." International Business Times. January 29, 2016. Accessed March 30,
2016. http://www.ibtimes.com/gender-wage-gap-2016-lilly-ledbetter-obama-urges-equal-pay-womenproposes-more-data-2286172.