Recently in the news, an American campaign, which bears the #Freethe20, takes up the cause of 20 imprisoned activists abroad, and it comes after an unsuccessful lobbying campaign to include activists among the speakers at the summit meeting. In China, 3 women have been imprisoned which is the most out of any other country. In the meeting among the UN, the United States was represented by Samantha Power, not Barack Obama, as America is in campaign mode. The goal behind the UN meeting was to bring recognition worldwide of the issue of the 20 women who have been imprisoned. Along with the imprisonment of 3 women, China has recently 5 other women's rights activists were detained and because they were protesting for their rights. These five women have recently been released but are struggling because of restrictions in terms of work, life, and freedom of action. A quote from Hilary Clinton about women's rights is that, women’s rights are human rights. This is incorporated because it shows that everyone needs to be treated equally.
Do you think China had the right to take the actions that they have been taking? Do you think change will be coming for women's rights around the world? Should the United States get involved in more issues such as this one? Do you think other countries should adopt an amendment similar to the 19th amendment which gives women access to more freedom?
Very relevant topic. Hard to respond without more details concerning exactly what the imprisoned women did. Don't get me wrong, I can predict China is being heavy handed, but more details would help.
ReplyDeleteThe whole feminist issue is very relevant and on the rise. Clearly, China is a very strict country and I think that since women's rights is such a big issue, it will take time to tackle each country. The US is more open to reform, but is still working on it. Therefore, the US should be the country to lead by example and support women's rights.
ReplyDeleteObviously China was not justified in their imprisonment of women's rights activists. I certainly hope more positive change regarding the global status of women is coming. I found it somewhat offensive that President Xi regarded the UN meeting as a way for China to establish themselves as global leaders of women's rights. The statement comes across as disgustingly out of touch with reality, given that China is a great example of a country that really, really needs feminism. The traditionally patriarchal society in China is continually enabled by laws such as the one child policy which was initiated in 1978. The policy, while presenting itself as an effort at population control, created a sharp increase in practices like sex-selective abortion and infanticide because having a female child is seen as a large burden with less potential benefits for parents. It is estimated that in 2020 there will be 30 MILLION more men than women in the country. I find that truly terrifying. So yes, I think that the US government should partake in more issues relating to the global status of women, and should strive to set a better example in our own policies regarding women. We could start by ratifying the most prominent global treaty on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women. >>> https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-8&chapter=4&lang=en
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sam that China is in dire need of feminism. China as a nation has such a disgusting amount of human rights violations. The US should try to help implement some feminist ideas and general equality of thought throughout the region. These implementations should also not be poorly given, the US should also incorporate more feminist philosophy into its lawmaking.
ReplyDeleteWhile their actions may have been according to their laws, China's advancements as a world power are not matched in their expansion of human rights. As they continue to face more pressure of other leader powers, such as the U.S. they will likely be more inclined to address their human rights issues. Just as the U.S. was embarrassed for legally allowing segregation when working with other countries about promoting other human rights they believed in, more countries will be forced to change. In any society where sexism is so institutionalized, a law, such as the 19th Amendment, must be enforced to provide the citizens with a grounds and reason to change and allow the government to maintain this law.
ReplyDeleteWhile their actions may have been according to their laws, China's advancements as a world power are not matched in their expansion of human rights. As they continue to face more pressure of other leader powers, such as the U.S. they will likely be more inclined to address their human rights issues. Just as the U.S. was embarrassed for legally allowing segregation when working with other countries about promoting other human rights they believed in, more countries will be forced to change. In any society where sexism is so institutionalized, a law, such as the 19th Amendment, must be enforced to provide the citizens with a grounds and reason to change and allow the government to maintain this law.
ReplyDeleteAlthough China's actions were okay by their own laws, they do not hold up to the rest of the world's standards. With such a large presence in the world, China's human rights laws are incredibly outdated. The U.S. may be inclined to address these issues, but any further involvement is debatable. I agree that other countries around the world should adopt laws like the 19th amendment that ensure women's rights.
ReplyDeleteChina is clearly a very misogynistic place, although it is a very advanced country China lacks basic human rights for women. They should try and adopt some more feminist values from the US and inquire more feminist philosophies in their laws. The US needs to lead by example, however, the US still has a long way to go.
ReplyDeleteI think that change around the world concerning women's rights is inevitable, woman are occupying higher leadership positions such as presidency, it's only a matter of time and exposure.
ReplyDeleteI think it goes without saying that change for the better in regards to women's rights is on the up-and-coming throughout the world. However, it is very easy to look at other countries, such as Middle Eastern ones, which believe in very traditional roles of women from an American point of view. We feel safe in our belief that women are pretty equal to men in society, and that other countries should be condemned for traditional beliefs. Many Americans would be shocked to know that many Middle Eastern countries have heads of state and governmental leaders that are women, much more than we have here in America. So, while we look down on other countries for how they view women, we take no blame for how we treat ours. And that is where the issue is.
ReplyDeleteAs a leading super power and a "role model" for countries to follow, the United States should be one the leading countries advocating for women's rights all around the world. Although the US can argue that its society already incorporates the equality between men and women, it still lacks in that department. While the US may look down upon the countries that supposedly fail to give women more rights due to their traditional beliefs, they also fail to realize that in those same countries they have more women in positions of power than the US does with all its so called "equality." I do not mean to undermine the US effort in advocating its mission, rather I want to shed some light on the hypocrisy of the world. While one nation may hold a certain view regarding a specific topic, they shouldn't go around judging others when in fact they're not so perfect themselves. This isn't a contest of who has the most rights for women, or whose society holds women to a higher standard. The real issue is having a world when the standard for men and women can be equal to the point that seeing a women at the head of the table is not only reserved for the big screen or our imagination.
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