1.Female genital mutilation: (FGM) This is perhaps the most disturbing abuse done to women. FGM is a procedure that removes either part or all of a woman’s external genitalia. This is often practiced in Africa, especially in rural areas. There are several reasons for the practice of FGM; it is generally a cultural tradition and often thought of as the removal of unclean parts on a woman’s body. It is also commonly believed that performing FGM on a woman decreases her sex drive, thus making her more pure and less sinful. Not only is the procedure itself is painful, it also has dangerous long-term effects, including complications with labor and childbirth.
2.Giving birth:This might surprise some Western readers, but giving birth in Africa can be actually very dangerous for a woman. According to the Guardian, every 1 in 22 women dies because of pregnancy or childbirth . Oftentimes it relates to medical care; sometimes it’s hard for women to reach a healthcare facility, and even if they can reach one, the facility could be understaffed or lacking the equipment needed to provide a safe birth. Most women give birth at home instead, usually without the assistance of a skilled heath worker.
Prostitution; In Cambodia, young women usually have two job options; prostitution or work in the textile industry. Cambodian women usually choose prostitution, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some risks. It’s distasteful work, and leaves the women exposed to violence from customers. Those who don’t choose this profession are either lured or forced into it. There’s a lack of alternative job routes for Cambodian women, so many of them pool into prostitution work.
Bride burning:An illegal, but still common practice performed throughout India. A woman can be murdered by her husband or her husband’s family if her dowry price is not met, allowing the man to marry another. This practice really shows the little value that women hold in India, which leads to my next point.
Female feticide :Indian mothers often take a herbal medicine to abort their babies if they know it is a girl. To them, this is practical and socially acceptable. Being a girl in India is indeed very dangerous, since they are subject to rape and other forms of violence, such as bride burning. A baby boy is much more welcome than a baby girl, since women are viewed as useless and unpractical.
Gender inequality allows for these dangerous practices to happen since it assumes that women are inherently weaker and somehow lesser than men. Their value is undermined while the men have the power to harm a woman. These are only some of the dangerous practices that women experience worldwide; there are of course other harmful conditions that truly reflect how little our global society values women.