Respecting the rights of women

By Ramesh Sajanani , Guest Columnist

These days, the rights of sexes and human rights generally seem to become more important and sensitive than before. International groups like Amnesty are being recognised and supported by nations and by individuals, especially those organisations that are independent from Church and or state affiliations.

For some years, the Anglican Church has encouraged women to be in the priesthood. There were already women deacons and many women priestesses were appointed, some with their own churches.

Very recently, the Church of England laity voted against women becoming bishops in the Anglican Church - 74 against when a two-thirds majority would have required six more votes out of a total of 132. This was a major blow to the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury, who worked on admitting women bishops. Now the new Archbishop has to wait five years before applying to the Synod for the change to be effected.

Then there is an excellent comment by Cheryl Blair, an acclaimed attorney-at-law, on women's rights, where she points out that all over the world it seems that the justice infrastructure is failing women in terms of property rights, freedom of movement and other biases against women. It appears that the laws are not enforced for crimes against women as assiduously as in the case with men.

COMmitment and resources

It is not enough to put the right laws in to deal with discrimination. There needs to be the commitment and resources to change approaches that give rise to discriminatory treatment.

One of the solutions being offered in the USA is the appointment of women judges, women Senators, and House Representatives. In Jamaica at this time, we have numerous women judges, and the prime minister is a woman, and it brings a different quality to justice.

A former prime minister of Ireland once remarked, "In a society where the rights and potential of women are constrained, no man can be truly free. He may have power, but not freedom."

It is a compelling argument that by placing restrictions on women in society, we are limiting what society can achieve, and therefore impeding the freedom of all people. The secret of a successful culture these days is realising the potential of everyone, and using it to a maximum.

In family matters, they are more likely to see that their daughters excel in education, and prepare them to appreciate how society may view them as compared to other women.

Women and men as human beings have similar rights. But the woman carries life, and has the right to make pro-choice and pro-life decisions. These are some rights we need to respect.

On average, being physically smaller, they are more susceptible to domestic violence and abuse, as well as sexual harassment in all theatres of life. This once more deserves support, for many men take unfair advantage of their female colleagues.

Ramesh Sujanani is a businessman. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and rsujanani78@gmail.com.