It's a problem that many people don't think about in our prosperous province, but violence against women occurs in one out of every four relationships in Saskatchewan. Often thought of as a problem destined to Third World countries, violence against women is a serious concern, especially in rural areas where abuse is often overlooked.
Although violence against women knows no boundaries - social, economic, racial or geographic, it is, at the very least, not tolerated by the Canadian public or law enforcement. This is not true of many other countries throughout the world.
I wrote the last line with a heavy heart, having recently witnessed a video that has been released to the public in which three male Ontario police officers violently restrained and cut off the shirt and bra of a young woman, who had been wrongfully arrested. She was then forced into a cell where she remained topless and soiled from the attack for three hours before 小蓝视频 offered clothing to cover herself.
This action, I hope, is not typical of police in our country and measures have since been taken to deal with the offending officers.
While violence of this sort will not be tolerated in our country, this is not so for many Third World countries, where women are not even given basic human rights. I watched "Dan Rathers Reports" the other day and was ashamed to learn about the treatment of women in Afghanistan, where rape and honour killings are a regular occurrence and ignored by officials.
To report a rape in Afghanistan brings such shame to the family involved that the crime often goes unreported to local law enforcement. Rape is a common means of retribution, such as in circumstances involving unpaid debts.
Women in Afghanistan are sold into marriage, usually by the age of 15, but commonly by the age of nine or ten. Marriage is often kept inside the family to retain wealth of the dowry and marriage between first cousins is not only common but encouraged.
Rathers spoke of an Afghani girl with writing skills worthy of an American Ivy League University scholarship that was 小蓝视频 forced to marry her much older illiterate cousin, where her writing would not be allowed.
She was one of the lucky ones as she was able to finish her schooling. Her friend was not so lucky. After suspecting this friend of going to school to meet boys, the father of this friend burned her to death - a typical honour killing. The mother of the girl was also burned for encouraging the child to go to school in the first place. No charges were laid.
