Universal Declaration For Human Rights example essay topic

... When a baby girl is born, the family views her as a temporary possession. Some parents sell the baby girls when they need the money; these girls are often brought up as household servants or as prostitutes. At other times, baby girls are drowned at birth. Women in China are still considered inferior to men.

A women is expected to obey her father as a child, her husband as a woman, and her son in her old age. On the other hand, it is a moral obligation of the person in authority to be just and reasonable. Therefore, the man should be kind but at the same time deal severely with faults. The 19th century saw the beginnings of women's rights for Chinese women. Western missionaries started schools for girls in China that introduced western ideas that influenced the Chinese. In 1901, foot binding was officially banned although it continues to practiced as traditions are hard to destroy...

(Sui Noi Goh page 67) In 1919 educated Chinese women took part in movements to modernize China, and give women equal rights with men. In the early 1990's, the Chinese themselves set up schools for girls. During the "Great Leap Forward" in the 1950's, Mao Zedong gave women equality with men, saying women "held up half of the heavens". Women were urged to work in the fields and in the factories with men. Childcare centers we reset up so children could be taken care of while their mothers worked Greater attention was paid to women's health as well.

Although ideas regarding women's rights have been introduced in China, change is slow due to the long standing reverence for male children. "Since 1995, the population in China has been about 1.2 billion. Because of the rapid growth in the population, women are urged to undergo sterilization, and pregnant women are urged to have an abortion". (Sui Noi Goh page 50-51) Since is not the most favorable way to go about controlling the population, China has come up with the "one-child policy".

This policy permits one child per family if the first born is a boy but permits two children if the first child is a girl No matter what, there may be no third births. "In 1994, a survey of couples of childbearing age, 63% had a single child, 25% had a second child, and the remaining 10% had three or more children". (Soi Noi Goh page 50-51) Once a female child is born, the simplest method to avoid having a penalty for having more children is to not record her birth. Families often put baby girls up for adoption, or they frequently abandon them.

"In China the gender ratio among Chinese children is 111 males for every 100 females". (Sui Noi Goh page 50-51) This statistic strongly suggests that anti-women sentiment still exists. Iran is an unusual country. Religion has always been important to Iranians, but since the revolution of 1979, Iran has become a religious state, where religious rules are state rules.

It is the teachings of Islam that determines every aspect of daily life, customs, laws, and government. Thus, when contemporary women's rights in Iran are analyzed, one refers to the fundamental Muslim views regarding women. In a local hadith Islamic class in the year 1,000, the question was asked, "Are women basically good or bad?" The answer was, "I was raised up to heaven and saw that the denizens were poor people: I was raised into the hellfire and saw that most of its denizens were women". This quote demonstrates that men think poorly of women in Iran.

In the Islamic culture, women are considered to be the property first of her guardian (usually her father) and then ownership over her is transferred to her husband. Iranian women actually many more rights and freedoms than some other countries in the Middle East. Girls are allowed to go to school and learn, although the schools are segregated according to sex to keep up with the Islamic beliefs. "Before the 1970's, only 34% of the girls attended primary school and even fewer went to universities". (web) Today children between the ages of six and twelve must go to primary school, but not all parents send their daughters to classes. Women of Iran do not own the clothes that they wear. They have no rights over the children and little protection against a violent husband.

If a husband kills his wife, her family must pay a considerable amount for his death sentence. If they cannot meet the cost, he goes free. A husband can order his wife out of the house. He can divorce her without telling her, and he can have up to four wives. Iranian women have also been pushed out of the work force. All women have been forced into part-time work so that nothing hinders their holy duty of motherhood.

In Iran, the women have arranged marriages. The husband is normally chosen by how large a dowry the woman's father will provide. Ninety percent of the time, there is no way to get out of an abusive marriage. Abusive behavior is tolerated and goes unpunished.

Present Time Women's rights have changed over time, usually getting better. The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Right son December 10, 1948. This Declaration has a preamble and thirty articles. These articles list the rights of women and men in all aspects of life.

The first article in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights explains it all. Article 1"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood". This article explains that all women and men should be equal in dignity and rights; equality and rights should not be based on sex or gender. Although not all countries have signed this Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration has more than seventy countries that have agreed to abide by this code of human rights.

Afghanistan, Iran and China have not signed this Declaration. Outlook for the 21st Century As of today, women's rights are generally improving, but much advancement is still needed. Hopefully in the 21st century, the worldwide women's rights movement will see more progress. With the support of the internet and news media, people throughout the world are becoming more informed about the atrocities committed against women and the need for women's rights. The Universal Declaration for Human Rights is constantly being updated because more people are demanding that there should be written laws for the humane treatment of women around the world. Since the beginning of time, women have always been treated as inferior to men.

The fact of the matter is that the situation will not changeover night. As more people become informed about women's rights and become indignant about the abuses, positive changes for women will surely occur. In conclusion, inequalities and atrocities against women in Afghanistan, China, and Iran are still occurring today. Although some progress has been made and the world is becoming better informed about the plight of these women, further actions are needed immediately to promote the welfare and human rights in these three countries as well as in the rest of the world.