Women are being destroyed by society

THE EDITOR: From female genital mutilation to arranged child marriages to abuse in all its forms, women are almost becoming an endangered species the world over. Instead of taking our rightful places alongside men, some are being hunted, stalked, advantaged, raped and murdered in the name of power and a very wrong definition of love.

Whether in the form of overzealous male ego in the home or male dominion on the job and religious sects, it seems as though the relationships between men and women have become imbalanced, to say the least, and savage to the extreme. Women are seen as second class and second nature when in fact the birth of the world lies in our wombs.

Women in ministerial positions and female advocate groups seem to be virtually silent as we continue to spiral into more madness with woman after woman being murdered at the hands of estranged and jilted lovers, some along with their innocent children.

In this country, men are socialised to or led to believe that their female companions are their property, to do with as they please, to beat and mistreat and she dare not try to leave. If one has to resort to violence to control another then such a relationship is not healthy in any event.

Women are told to shut up and endure the wrongs and it is about time we stand up and speak up for each other. Women are making strides globally and right in the home. Some are educated and capable of running multi-million-dollar establishments and others are able to run households on little money, making everyone so comfortable that they don’t even notice the strain.

Women carry the future in their wombs and men who declare themselves great today, once passed through the birth canal with nothing. Women provide that love and comfort which children seek and those strong shoulders when men need support. Yet some resort to all sorts of abuse, leaving our women broken and battered, emotionally, financially and mentally bankrupt.

Society is not treating us right, not allowing us the space which was allotted to us by nature. Male chauvinists leave us to walk behind the man, not beside him, remaining at the bottom of the ladder, despite being properly qualified. And in the media some are being sexually exploited, reduced to body parts with no brain attached, advertising anything from alcohol to cars. What a message that’s being sent to the upcoming young girls.

When we lose respect for our mothers, sisters and daughters we become insensitive and reckless and woman after woman makes it to the news, starring in a coffin somewhere, dressed like a princess or a bride when it is too late. We all stand by while our fellow sister is being beat down and verbally abused and we say it’s not our business. But when the support system, from the family circle to the police officer, fails to do their duty the predator runs amok.

When I was a young girl I often heard “little girls must be seen and not heard” and many women are being silenced by death. Each woman has a voice, each woman is an individual and has a purpose. Had I taken that statement to heart, you would have been reading this article.

We need to take a serious look at the extreme importance of the role of the women in our homes and society and give them the respect they so rightfully deserve.

LORREN MEDFORD-PRYCE via e-mail