Gender Discrimination in Saudi Arabia

Gender Discrimination in Saudi Arabia The issues of gender discrimination in Saudi Arabia seriously need to be alert to every woman out there. Public need to understand how vulnerable these Saudi Arabia women been living throughout their whole life and the misery they went through. There is no freedom for them. This happens because of the extremely conservation of religious culture. They are not just being retracted by the Islam law, also by the social norms and tradition. SECTION II THE ISSUES AND WHO ARE INVOVLED I have chosen to focus on prejudice and discrimination against women in Saudi Arabia and comparing it with Singapore. The reason why I have chosen this is because I realized in Saudi Arabia, women have a pitiful life. They have been categorized by men for over many decades. Men are being more prioritized over women in their country in terms of gender, education, society which I will be covering in this topic. There is no freedom of speech. Their life is being controlled by men. Hence there is a need to bring up this issue to everyone so that the discriminated gender in Saudi Arabia can be reduced and the womens quality of life can be improved. Women in Saudi Arabia are normally seen wearing dull colours veil, head covering and a full black cloak. They must cover the parts of their body except the eyes. The clothing must be thick and loose-fitting which will not interest male. The reason of dressing so is because no seduction is allowed to men. According to Saudi culture, womens employment place is at home whereas mans is at the workplace. Women are not allowed to neglect their responsibilities of house chores. A new report released by Human Right Watch (HRW), it state that Requirements that each female, regardless of age, be assigned a male guardian be it a father, a husband, or even a son who must give permission for their charges to do everything from travel abroad or locally to study, seek medical care, work and marry effectively deprives women of their most basic rights and makes their participation in public life far more difficult. (Jim Lobe, 2008 Apr 21) Also in the same article, One 40-year-old Saudi woman, who was divorced from her husband and whose father had died, who had to seek permission from her 23-year-old son to travel outside the kingdom (Jim Lobe, 2008, Apr 21) This is an extremely absurd information for any Singaporean women to believe if this act was to be implemented in Singapore. In normal situation in Singapore, it is usually the children be it of gender have to seek permission from parents to leave a country. However in Saudi Arabia, they are being based on gende r where men have all the authority over women. And in most cases, women are needed to be accompanied by a man on streets. It is extremely common to see women driving on the road in Singapore. Unlike Saudi Arabia, women are allowed to own a car but they are not given the rights to drive. Women can still own cars in Saudi Arabia, but they are banned from driving them. (Associated Press, July 5 2010) They are the only county that does not allow women to drive. In addition to such extend, Saudi Arabia women actually threaten to breastfeed their male colleagues or men that they often come in contact with. The reason why they will do so is because they think that by breastfeeding the men, it will create a symbolic maternal relation. Within the same article, it also stated that if the women give their drivers their breast milk, the chauffeurs would be able to mingle with all members of the family without having to worry about violating Islamic law. In both scenarios, women are at disadvantage because despite of breastfeeding those strangers, they are still not allowed to drive. But if they do so, it also means giving the chance for those strangers to associate with their family members without fears breaking the Islamic law. SECTION III WHY IS IT IMPORTENT FOR US TO TALK ABOUT IT? Women are often being seen as more inferior as compared to men in Saudi Arabia, especially where the lack of education further verifies this. Majority of the women are not allowed to attend school just because of gender. It affects the society as it does not give a good impression to other countries. Women in Saudi Arabia do not have any say in almost everything even basic human rights like receiving medical care or working. As stated in the first example, they must seek permission from their male guardian before doing so. They are also being forbidden from participating in political issues such as election. Giving men the authority over women could means a higher danger for them. An article stated that The power given to male guardians actually contributes to womens risk of abuse and family violence, according to the report. Even when guardians are found to be abusive against their charges, social workers, doctors, and lawyers who work on such cases told HRW that it was almost impossible for their guardianship to be dissolved or transferred. (Jim Lobe, 2008 Apr 21) As women are considered the substandard ones in the society, majority of them are not literate. The only jobs that are suitable for them are those that do not required any skills as such being a domestic worker. In the same article, it also added that Many migrant domestic workers, mostly women, were kept in highly abusive conditions, being made to work up to 18 hours every day, in some cases for little or no pay. Domestic workers have no protection under Saudi Arabian labour law and have little possibility in practice of obt aining redress against abusive or exploitative employers. The government said that a law against domestic violence was being drafted. (Amnesty International, 2009) In most situations, women can only bear with all the misery and feel so helpless regarding it. The rate of discrimination in Saudi Arabia is extremely high and need to be brought up to everyone. Women are not given a fair chance when it comes to employment. Women remained subordinate to men under family law, were denied equal employment opportunities with men, remained banned from driving vehicles or travelling alone (Amnesty International, 2009) Women tried to protest against the discrimination act that men put on them, however the way they protest has limited effect. Such as the incident of being banned from driving, women protest it by threatening to breastfeed the men. This behavior will never happen in Singapore because it is never practiced in here. One woman who was being interview by the Gulf News said Is this all that is left to us to do: to give our breasts to the foreign drivers? She commented this because she understand even such threaten will only put women at disadvantage. SECTION IV WHERE CAN WE START TO FIX PROBLEM? I believe equal rights exist for everyone regardless of age, gender. This inequality treatment women received is the society is causing women to protest. Although the International committee such as United Nation (UN) has already stepped into Saudi Arabia to help those women, nevertheless there is still much limitation they can do. There isnt much that can be done by outsiders as its my belief that sustainable change is only change that happens from within. (Eman Fahad Al Nafjan, 2010, September 9) In 2001, the UN has a Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Its purpose was to ask Saudi Arabia to take action to end discrimination against women in all forms. The convention oblige Saudi Arabia to pursue by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of eliminating discrimination against women, including any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field. (Human Rights Watch, 2009 July 8) However, this convection has little effect. The Saudi government sacrifices basic human rights to maintain male control over women. Saudi women wont make any progress until the government ends the abuses that stem from these misguided policies. (Jim Lobe, 2008 Apr 21) To end the misery of women, firstly the government have to start their part. The Islam law is the biggest factor causing the restrictions for women in the country. Men should stop being chauvinistic and mentality that they are superior, where women should be stay home, this mindset needs to be highlighted. Various actions done by the Amnesty International USA of helping these vulnerable women in Saudi Arabia was to create awareness to people all over the world about how are they being treated. They even urge readers to send in appeals to the Head of Election Committee and the Ministry of Interior to help these women. Write to the Head of the Election Committee and the Minister of Interior, calling for women in Saudi Arabia to be given their basic fundamental right to universal suffrage without delay. (Amnesty International USA, 2004 November)

The Green Sea Turtle

The Green Sea Turtle is one of only 7 species of sea turtle, with all being in danger of becoming extinct. It is one of the largest sea turtles and has the highest migratory area. This report will cover from its physical description through to the specific role that it plays in the environment, as well as solutions to bring the creature to a least concern of extinction. Animal Profile: The Green Sea Turtle’s carapace (shell) has a mottled brown top, with it’s under shell a creamy white and this shell is often covered in algal growth. Its flesh is a light green and its head is relatively small, when compared to its body. Contrasting to the other sea turtles, it can’t put its head into its shell. The turtle’s front members are flipper-like, which propel it through the water at great speeds when needed. When hatchlings emerge from their eggs, they will weigh about 1 ounce, with the carapace only 2 inches long. Sub-adults will have a weight of approximately 200-350 pounds and will grow over 2 and a half feet long. Whereas the fully grown adult can weigh up to 400 pound (317. kg) and its carapace will expand to 5 feet long. The Green Sea Turtle is a reptile, and it comes from the family of Cheloniidae. The average lifetime expectancy for the Green Sea Turtle usually lasts more than 80 years in the wild, and it takes over 25 years for them to reach sexual maturity. One of the only differences between the 2 sexes, is that the males have longer and thicker tails than the females, and they also have one single mating claw, on the back of the fore flippers.

Through the Eyes of Modern Society

The intriguing documentary of Killing Us Softly 4 by Jean Kilbourne, provides for a controversial topic of the basis of advertising in the media and how it affects women directly and indirectly. Consequently, harsh results are perceived from these advertisements. Of all the â€Å"factual† statements made by Jean Kilbourne during this documentary, many fallacies arose. The media leaves us extremely vulnerable to assimilating ourselves to all aspects of mass media.I can closely identify myself with the situation at hand because I am a part of a society that is raised up on a pop culture that is ubiquitous. We are constantly consumed in the media every single day with advertisements flooding our brains. In fact, I feel that women are not as materialized, dehumanized, or objectified as they are overpoweringly depicted in Killing Us Softly 4. Essentially, Killing Us Softly 4 is an examination of the media and, especially, advertising’s influence on the society and negatively targets and affects women.It characterizes how women are portrayed as objects, not humans. This is represented by a series of advertisements focused on certain body parts, for instance, a woman’s legs or breasts, which apparently dehumanizes women. The issues related to the advertisements presented in this film include a major decline in self-esteem experienced by adolescent females, eating disorders, and violence against women, among other examples. As a result, Kilbourne immediately stresses her opinions that females are bombarded with a multiplicity of insecurities compared to males growing up.She blames this imbalance of self-esteem to the models that indirectly push women to look up to the unreachable ideal image portrayed in advertising. The result is damaging to our collective psychological makeup as far as the way we view women in the real world and how women view themselves. Is it the woman’s body that has been objectified for the sole purpose of this adverti sing? For instance, as stated in the video, it states that the perfect ideal women figure is always shown with a light-skinned, straight-hair, skinny figure.â€Å"Women of color are only considered beautiful if they resemble the white ideal† (5:48-5:56). In fact, I tend to disagree with this very statement. Women can be attractive and be a successful model no matter what skin color they are born with, where they came from, or what their heritage or race may be. Also, it was stated that certain races that are not light-skinned are usually represented as animals instead of human beings, which is an absurd statement. The quote given was, â€Å"Black women are featured as exotic animals, like leopards. Never shown modeling† (8:13-8:30).A statement like this is completely racial and stereotypical as well as close-minded against welcoming of other minorities into the modeling world. As a matter of fact, The United States consists of a melting pot of races, religions, and gen etic make up. So, by making an outlandish statement that is very hypocritical in many senses. When a young girl sees a model in an advertisement and asks herself, â€Å"What do I have to do to look like her? † In addition, women are not as materialized, dehumanized, or objectified as they are overpoweringly depicted in Killing Us Softly 4.Jean Kilbourne tries to formulate a ridiculous piece of research that she complied about the direct relationship between the ideal image of women. This is exemplifies, and coincides with the way that men view women with higher standards, which directly sparks violence against women. The evidence lies in the following quote: â€Å"It creates a widespread violence against women by turning a human being into a thing, which is the first step toward justifying violence against a person. † (9:19-9:42). There is not valid information to backup this â€Å"research† that Kilbourne is referring to and tends to have no apparent correlatio n.She went on to say, â€Å"This is the case with homophobia and terrorism. Dehumanization means violence is inevitable† (9:35-9:42). Respectively, these are all valid examples of groups of people that are alienated from society, certain people desire to inflict violence on them. However, once again the majority of women are not a part of those groups so this information essentially, remains irrelevant. In conclusion, many fallacies were present as a result of the statements made throughout the documentary.Jean Kilbourne tries to provide valid facts,  research, and propaganda against the objectification, dehumanization, and role of women in advertisement. An example of a fallacy is the thought that only women closely related to the white ideal are considered beautiful and modeling material. Another example of a fallacy would be the creation of an ideal imagine of women through advertising, directly pushes violence against women. Although Kilbourne brought forth some apparen tly true information and concern up front, the majority of the information is drawn directly from her own emotions, views, and opinions.

Essay on Obamas Nobel Peace Prize - 1041 Words

Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize It was announced on October 9, 2009 that American President Barack Obama is this year’s recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace. The Nobel Foundation states that Obama was chosen for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. (Nobel Foundation) Controversy and debate ensued in the world wide media. Critics have debated Obama’s worthiness. Supporters have cited numerous examples of the current U.S. Presidents’ nobility. Obama does deserve this prestigious award. Nobel prizes are awarded for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace, and Economics. In his will, award creator Alfred Nobel â€Å"specifically designated the†¦show more content†¦(MacDougall) Other notable past winners include the 2007 winners Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) â€Å"for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to l ay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change. In 2001 the United Nations and Kofi Annan shared the award for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world and, in 1993 Nelson Mandela and former South African President Frederik Willem de Klerk were each awarded half of the prize for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa (Nobel Foundation) The question remains â€Å"What has the new President actually done in a mere 10 months in office to put him in the same league as past laureates such as Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa?† (Savage) Savage cites four reasons the Nobel Committee gave to defend their choice. â€Å"Obamas focus on strengthening international diplomacy and supporting the United Nations, his work for a world without nuclear weapons, his attention to climate change, and his improvement of human rights. In each area, Obama has made a start.† (Savage) Obama supporters argue that Beyond mereShow MoreRelatedBarack Obamas Overall Positive Performance in his First Year as President1466 Words   |  6 Pages‘health’ of the earth and economic progress. Further discussion on Obama’s attempt to improve the relation of America and the world; he promised that America will â€Å"never be in war with Islam†, but only to extremism instead. Through this one sentence that he mentioned, he quickly regained and recovered America’s image in the eye of the Muslim world. At the same time, he gives the impression that America put much effort to keep the peace in the world. His charisma and personality helps to improve theRead MoreChange and Obama Essay1561 Words   |  7 Pageskeep the peace in the world. His charisma and personality helps to improve the image of America too. A member of the House told Huffington Post that Obama is a very calm, and has great ability to make people who are working with him feel respected and listened to. In fact, he represents the hope of America, and there is a trend nowadays that more people believe that with him being the president, America is heading to the right direction. His broken promises and criticisms However, Obama’s performanceRead MoreThe Peace Prize By The Tunisian National Dialogue1610 Words   |  7 PagesThird, in 2015, this political transition was crowned by receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. The successful political dialogue held by the Tunisian national Dialogue Quartet that included the Tunisian General Labor Union, Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, The Tunisian Human Rights League, and The Tunisian Order of Lawyers. That dialogue was held due to the conflict between the protests that asked the government to step down after the second political assassination in 2013 andRead MoreA Peace Prize Award For Carrying Out1301 Words   |  6 Pagespresented a Nobel Peace Prize award for carrying out â€Å"peace† in especially contrasting and different ways. These so-called peace prizes show that peace can be associated and parallel to war engagement, destruction, unorthodox doings; In other words, a wrong can make a right! What makes Obama rise above the rest is his â€Å"Yes We Can!† attitude, his attempts to make peace in different countries along with his own, and his journey becoming who he is today. In 2009, Barack won this particular prize for hisRead MoreEssay on Persuation, Politics Propaganda1531 Words   |  7 Pagesvulnerable to media persuasion, politics, and propaganda. Objective News Article November 23, USA Today newspaper article discusses the Middle East Peace and the United States Presidents. The article began to discuss the six presidents in office and the attempts made to bring peace to the Middle East. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) had one good attempt, the peace treaty signed by Israel and Egypt in 1979; however, one bad attempt of the Iranian hostage crisis 1979-1980. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) dealt withRead MoreThe Declaration Of Sentiments, By Elizabeth Cady Stanton1714 Words   |  7 Pagesalready has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and supports the conclusion with the speech bubble that the caricatures in the cartoon has. To link this conclusion with the evidence, the Post makes the assumption that their audience is just as astonished as they are. In his argument, Michael Binyon of London’s Times newspaper concludes that the achievements of all previous winners had been diminished and supports the conclusion with the analogy of Obama’s acceptance of the prize to the most contentiousRead MorePresident Obama s President Of The United States1500 Words   |  6 Pagesuntil January 20, 2009. January 20, 2009 signified the culmination of 220 years of American tradition and the inception of a new era as Barack Hussein Obama assumed office, becoming the first African American in American history to do so. President Obama’s inauguration was also monumental for the African-American community because never before had a black male simultaneously occupied the highest position in the United States government and society. Although President Obama earned the honorary titleRead MoreBarack Obama s President Of The Free World2269 Words   |  10 PagesObama soothed his people with the motto â€Å"Change, we can.† T hat was the catchphrase and mentality going into his administration. But that was on the only motto his administration had. During Obama’s presidential campaign, he did an easy job at depicting the Republicans as incapable and stupid people. And so Obama’s remedy to fixing problems was â€Å"don’t do stupid stuff†, this would later on be used as a doctrine for his foreign policy and United States involvement in the world up until the last days ofRead MoreBarack Obama3987 Words   |  16 PagesChildren) in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is the firstPresident to have been born in Hawaii. His mother, Ann Dunham, was born in Wichita, Kansas, and was of mostly English ancestry. His father, Barack Obama, Sr., was a Luo from Nyang’oma Kogelo, Kenya. Obamas parents met in 1960 in a Russian class at the University of HawaiÊ »i at MÄ noa, where his father was a foreign student on scholarship. The couple was married on February 2, 1961 and Barack was born six mont hs later. Obama did not have a relationshipRead MoreU.s. Military Policy Policies1677 Words   |  7 Pagesissue that President Obama was faced with having to improve. This is President Obama’s last year as president. Overall, he has done a decent job with foreign policy, excelling in some areas, and falling short in others. Background Information Barack Hussein Obama was born on August 4th, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was elected the 44th president of the United States of America in 2008, and won a Nobel Peace Prize in the following year. President Obama was the first African American president