Women as Victims of Barbaric Cultural Practice

Abstract

It is increasingly felt that it is the women folk who should observe cultural practices regardless of whether such practice are themselves questionable. Culture per se is not challenged but needs to be adhered. Culture signifies growth of our generations in accordance with customs, beliefs and values which can bring a wave of life and humanity in civilizations to come. Yet it is interesting to note that some such customs have the effect of damaging the statute of women thereby affecting the fabric of the society in which we blossom. Women have been battling their life against the unjust practices including honour killings prevalent in India and Pakistan for marrying a low caste male, honour based violence common among refugees in Canada where woman take refugee to escape customary death by her family member for defying disciplinarian rules on dress, dating, socializing and going online. Religious practices are believed to bring humans closer to God is rather true for women in Ireland who are not entitled to abortion even when they are miscarrying for religion preaches otherwise. Age old practice of seeking dowry reduces her to a commodity that can be traded. Not surprising is the fact that even the judges across the globe have not being able to give her the much needed respect to be treated as a human. Sir Mathew Hale, Chief Justice in England, during the 1600s in context of marital rape stated that “The husband cannot be guilty of a rape committed by himself upon his lawful wife, for by their mutual matrimonial consent and contract, the wife hath given herself in kind unto the husband, whom she cannot retract.” Multiplying are cases of women subordination to culture for want of reformation by male dominated societies. What is more surprising is the fact that women to date are unaware of their rights to be able to battle for them instead they survive the violence before breathing their last.