As we observe International Women’s Day today it would be an appropriate time for all societies to do some stock taking as regards issues such as women’s rights, poverty among women, their earnings and employment levels, abuse and their general status and welfare in recent years. Undoubtedly, in this modern era, women across the globe have demonstrated beyond a doubt that they are capable of matching their male counterparts in nearly every field once they are given the appropriate exposure and opportunity.

In the field of politics we have witnessed some towering women leaders such as Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, Hillary Clinton, Janet Jagan, etc. In other fields such as science, the arts, entertainment and several other fields we have had some remarkable women such as Madame Curie, Valentina Tereshkova – the Russian who became the first woman astronaut to fly in outer space, Oprah Winfrey, etc.

These women have all shown the world that they were all capable of performing with equal distinction in fields which were once considered strictly men’s territory and therefore prohibited to women.

The dedication, compassion, love and commitment to the poverty-stricken of India demonstrated by Mother Theresa was incredible, and perhaps would never be matched by another human being. She should go down as one of the greatest human beings to have walked the face of the Earth.

But as society advanced both socially and economically and democracy became more grounded, women also became more liberated, and therefore they were able to come out of their “shell” and compete and even outdo their male counterparts in many instances.

And therefore their contribution, apart from their social one of being a mother and care-giver and all the other responsibilities associated with motherhood and parenthood, to the socio-economic development must be acknowledged and given full recognition.

The Russian revolutionary leader and political thinker, Vladimir Lenin once argued that the liberation of a society can be judged by the level of liberation of the women in that society. Many theorists today argue on a similar premise that the strengthening of women’s rights and their liberation is closely linked to the advancement and development of the society in which they live.

However, while remarkable strides have been achieved with respect to women’s rights and development, there are still many burning and lingering problems to which solutions have to be found and these include domestic violence and abuse, physical and emotional torture, poverty, inadequate employment, exploitation, etc. These ills exist in varying levels in different countries and societies. And this is not surprising because the issue of women’s rights and the ills affecting women is a very intricate, delicate and complex one because of historical, cultural, religious, traditional peculiarities of individual societies.

In some societies, women accept that they are second class to men. So how do you deal with such a situation?

On this note Amnesty International (USA) points out: Human rights have long been understood to apply universally-to all people, at all times, in all places. However, in the case of women’s human rights, this principle continues to be challenged. Some justify violations of women’s human rights by placing precedence on cultural values and traditions. This view, however, fails to understand that some practices and beliefs termed “culture” or “tradition” often shape women’s lives in a way that subordinates them and discriminates against them. By placing limitations of the universality of the human rights of women, cultural values rooted in unequal power relations between women and men become justification for the systematic denial of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights.

And because of this women in some societies experience tremendous suffering. Amnesty International adds: “Women’s rights are human rights. This notion is at once fundamental and revolutionary. In theory, women have never been overtly excluded from the concept of human rights. In 1945, the UN Charter afforded to women and men equal economic, social, cultural, political and civil rights. Nevertheless, because women traditionally have been relegated to the private sphere and to subordinate status in society, they have generally been excluded from recognized definitions and interpretations of human rights. As such, women and girls’ experiences with human rights abuse have been virtually ignored (UNIFEM, 1999). Most of the casualties of war are women and children; most of the world’s refugees and displaced people are women and children; most of the world’s poor are women and children. Still, because of persistent discrimination against women and women’s virtual invisibility, these human rights violations continue with no clear sign of abatement.”

So while many may justifiably argue that enough is not being done to resolve severe problems affecting women, at the same time it must be acknowledged that because of these cultural and traditional peculiarities finding solutions may not be as easy as it may look on paper. But the world has to continue to make a concerted effort and devise innovative and creative approaches towards bringing an end to suffering of women and their second class status as the situation in some societies today.