Think pro-active in international relationships
Editorial

Some Some students at UH-Clear Lake come here to study from countries where women are still oppressed and held back from the opportunities that American women take for granted.

As we celebrate Women's History month in March there is no better time to reflect upon the diverse student body of UH-Clear Lake. What can UH-Clear Lake women do to better embrace the women who come here from other countries to study and to live? Perhaps it is as simple as embracing them as sisters in gender. Imagine losing all the rights that we currently take for granted.

Imagine waking up one morning and finding that women can no longer attend UH-Clear Lake, or any school for that matter. Women cannot vote, cannot work, and are totally dependent upon a male relative for support.

For women, the right to be seen in public without a male relative is not an option and beating is the punishment for wearing shoes that make noise. This is the reality that many Afghan women faced under Taliban rule. While the Taliban are being ousted, a lot of women are still afraid to totally go back to their previous lifestyles.

Life is changing for these women as they go back to their jobs, attend school, and step out in public again. On March 8, the women celebrated International Women's Day in Afghanistan for the first time since the rise and fall of the Taliban. During the ceremony, women did not cover themselves up; however, after the ceremony, most went back to donning the burka that they have been required to wear. A lingering fear still persists.

Certainly not all of UH-Clear Lake foreign students come from countries so severe, but some do come from countries where women are being oppressed in some way or experiencing violence from not conforming to expected behavior. Many come from countries where women are not afforded the same freedoms as American women.

This month, Fadime Sahindal, a 26-year-old Kurdish immigrant living in Sweden, was shot and killed by her own father. She refused to settle for an arranged marriage, and the price she paid is being the victim of what is called an honor killing, a form of domestic violence related to culture.

Victims of domestic violence in this country often stay in those relationships until they find the strength and support of other women. This same type of gender support can make an immense difference in the lives of women from oppressive countries.

There are still countries on the African continent where young girls are subjected to a painful procedure commonly referred to as female circumcision. Refugees try to come to America to protect their daughters from this fate.

America has been called a great melting pot because people come from around the globe to assimilate into our country. Emma Lazarus, wrote the poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. Part of a line from that poem is "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." This line beckons the oppressed to come here for a better life. This statue is a symbol of the freedom that America represents.

Assimilation can be rough as women adjust to new cultures, traditions, languages and laws. In addition to those adjustments, some women are ridiculed, or worse, made to fear dressing in the clothing that is representative of their counties and cultures.

Women have made so many strides in the past 100 years alone to overcome oppression. Gaining knowledge of various struggles in women's rights can help enable American women to come to the aid of other women. American women once limited to clerical, teaching and nursing roles now hold prominent positions in government, the military and the corporate world.

While the accomplishments are great, according the U.S. Census Bureau, women still earn only 73 percent of what males in similar positions earn. The Bureau also states that at 56 percent of total students, women have made up the majority of college students since 1979. Women still need to support each other. Distrust and fear of other women does nothing to help oppressed women find their voice.

Offering friendship to women new to America can be a significant beginning in helping them find comfort and strength.

Try to learn about other countries and cultures. Do not make assumptions about someone based on their appearance. Knowledge of tradition and culture can help lead to mutual understanding and respect.

Knowledge, respect and friendship can empower women of other cultures to understand the rights they should be afforded while allowing them to keep the customs and traditions they hold dear. All women deserve to be heard; who better to help than members of the same gender?