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Save the Women!
By anitamckay on 2009-02-24 08:44:24
Whenever an American tells me that a reason for supporting the war in Afghanistan is that women there needed to be saved
from the Taliban, I feel puzzled. For one thing, the Taliban were in power about six years before we attacked. Didn't the
women matter then? For another, I wonder why the concern for the women of Afghanistan only, and not those in dozens of
other countries, including the United States, too. Consider these statistics about violence against women in the United States:
e Three women a day are killed by domestic violence.
¢ Onan average day, six hundred women are raped.
e Each year, there are 4.8 million incidents of domestic violence.
Gender inequity exists in other areas, too. An updated study of gender inequity around the world ranks the United States 27
out of 130 countries! The rankings are based on measures such as pay equity, education, participation in occupations, and
health. That's not the way we typically view ourselves, is it? The link to the full report of the study is below for anyone
who is interested in learning more. The United States might accomplish more for women and girls around the world if we
started by dealing with our own issues to be a good model for other countries.
