Women's Rights, Human RIghts in China, and Related News Articles

The article titled “Women’s Rights” begins with studies that have shown an improvement in the treatment of women in certain countries, such as allowing them hold leadership positions. However, there are still other countries that mistreat women with things such as genital mutilation and forced abortions. There are skewed views in certain countries, such as Iraq, where “honor killings” of women take place. One woman in Iraq was killed for loving a man outside of her religious sect. I do not understand how people can see this as being acceptable in society. Do the Iraqis, or any woman abusing country for that matter, see this as being morally wrong, or is this treatment simply something that has been so engrained in their culture that they do not feel any sentiment at all?

In “Human Rights in China” there is discussion about human rights policies in China leading up to the 2008 Summer Olympics. It states that behind the upward movement in China’s prosperity is still the mistreatment of individuals. Things such as forced abortions and the holding back of protestors. China hoped to show the change that has occurred in their country with the 2008 Olympics held in Beijing. Despite their statements, promoters of human rights say that there are still problems that exist. Examples the Chinese governments repression of its citizens, provided by US advocacy groups, are putting journalists in prison, having the one-child policy that causes for forced abortions, and the blocking of web sites and emails. My question is what can we as the US do if China is unwilling to listen to what we have to say about their policies?

One article on CNN.com discusses China’s “rule of law” and how it has denied the fair treatment of an executed drug smuggler. The author, Jerome A. Cohen, states that while the legal training is improving, it still has a ways to go. In regards to women’s rights, China’s abortion policy has brought about a large male population since the 1980s, according to another article. The China Daily states that it has prevented 400 million births. I cannot even begin to fathom the amount of lives, especially female lives, that have been lost.

-Joe Siler