Half the Sky
The document Half the Sky, which is guided by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, portrays the oppression women face in Sierre Leone, Cambodia, and Vietnam. In Sierre Leone, Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn depicts the lack of power and how voiceless the women are after they are raped. In Cambodia, there is one of the worst cases of sex trafficking amongst young girls and in Vietnam, a girl’s difficulty and lack of encouragement in getting access to education was evaluated. I will be explaining all three situations in all three countries. Women in developing countries, such as the three mentioned above, need laws implemented and enforced to protect the women and girls and better access and encouragement for earning an education.
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In Sierre Leone, a country in West Africa, women are constantly raped and the rapists are not convicted. When the rape is reported, a poor investigation is usually made and there is not enough evidence to prove the rape. Thousands of women have been raped and only one rapist has been convicted. The laws to protect women are clearly underdeveloped. The narrator stated that it is hard to have legal remedies when rape is such a forgivable crime. There is one story of a young girl who was raped. Her father was embarrassed of what had happened to her, so he kicked out his wife and daughter out of the house. The father was the young girl’s source of money for school. He refused to continue to provide money for her to go to school as she has embarrassed him. The young girl’s education and opportunity was stolen from her due to the rape. The rapist will get away and the girl is left to live with the consequences. She is one of the many young girls and women experiencing such oppression.
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In Cambodia, sex trafficking amongst young girls is prevalent. Girls are literally bought and sold at brothels. Girls as young as three and five years old are involved in the sex slavery business. Girls not only have the high possibility of being raped, but also killed as if they were disposable. When women refuse to take “clients”, they are beaten. One woman who has changed her name to Somaly Mam, who is a victim of rape and abuse at the young age of 12, rescues the young girls from these brothels and rehabilitates them. Rehabilitation at the various centers in Cambodia includes showing the girls love, affection, happiness, offering them a job, an education, and opportunities. Somaly gets help from the anti-trafficking police because local police will not help raid the brothels. One story of a girl who goes by the name of Somana has one of the most heart-breaking stories. She was sold to a brothel at an extremely young age. They would force her to take up to 30 “clients” a day against her will. One of the owners of the brothel was upset and stabbed her eye. They would not allow her to go to the hospital and forced her to continue to take “clients” even as she was bleeding. Somana states that the men were drunk. She said that the men would not use condoms and would get her pregnant. She describes how they would abort the babies and that there would usually be blood everywhere. Eventually, the police showed up, searched the place, and found her. They took her to get medical care and they had to remove her eye. When she attempted to return home, her mother and father did not want her around because they said she was not a good person in their eyes. Somaly sees that the young girls are voiceless and that’s why nothing has happened. Somaly is trying to change that taboo.
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In Vietnam, girls are dropping out of school at higher rates than boys. In the 1st grade, a teacher will have about 100 students with equal amounts of boy and girls. By the 5th grade, which is the end of primary school, the teacher will have a class of 30 students with 25 of them being boys. There is a program in Vietnam called Room to Read, which helps educate poor, disadvantaged girls. There are two examples of two young girls with different lives. Both live with only their father and younger siblings. One lives in the city, Nhi, in which her father does not encourage education and the other girl, Phung, lives in a rural area in which her father inspires education. The young girl who lives in the city is forced by her father to sell lottery tickets in the city until the late afternoon (The father does not work). If she does not sell enough, her father beats her. She then attends school after selling tickets. Her father would not give her money for tutoring; she has to come up with the money herself. The other young girl, who lives in a rural area, is encouraged by her father to attend college. He attends the parent-teacher meetings even if he has to miss a day of work. He states that although he will be a little poorer, his children will be richer and have a better future. In Vietnam, education can create a safe haven for girls where they feel safe.
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Developing countries are in need of implementing laws that protect women against oppression. Education needs to become a priority in the lives of young girls. One of the narrators stated, if you education a girl, you educate a village.