AIDS, anger, women

I came across an article today, "Human-rights abuses undermine fight against AIDS, World Health Body says", a title that effectively summarizes what is reported.

More in depth, women, intravenous drug users and homosexuals are hindered from receiving treatment, because of possible persecution in their countries.

In Eastern Europe, where AIDS is prevalently spread through intravenous drugs, most who are unaffected are left untreated (1 in 4 with AIDS are imprisoned).
Social stigma also plays a role in discouraging women and girls from seeking antiretrovirals for fear they will be cast out of families and communities.


The article managed to brew an even larger outrage within me, an anger that existed for many years: Gender inequality. Skipping the glass ceiling, because I think I've dealt with it enough (and have witnessed companies taking it too far), I wish to address the gender dichotomy in 3rd world countries. Women comprise most of the impoverished, stuck in a cycle largely caused by discrimination. Women are pushed aside when education, food, and other necessities are distributed among members in poor families. Lack of awareness and education trap females within poverty's grasp and hence the poverty cycle continues rolling.

Countries around the world consider women property. Heinous acts upon them are considered socially acceptable, such as in India bride burning (bride's family refuses to pay additional dowry, so the husband's family burns the bride). In parts of Asia, rape victims,usually women, are looked upon as distasteful and ostracized. In China, the majority of babies up for adoption are girls. In Indonesia, if couples cannot bear children, women are blamed for being impotent. I haven't even considered sex slavery which is a multi-million dollar global market. In multiple other countries, we hear more of these outrageous--but not so outrageous in these countries--stories.

Now, I'm starting to realize the full impact of what it means to grant women their ability to work. It means financial freedom and independence, especially an out from the property perspective. No longer can their men decide and announce that everything women have is soley based on the men's work. I've seen the effects of relying on the husband for sustenance: My grandpa (not the one who passed away) provided most of the family's resources and now that my grandparents are in retirement, my grandma is restricted from spending money as it is grandpa who worked for it.

What to do about this injustice?

There's a TED video about a women in India who has survived an 8-people gang rape and how she was fueled by anger to co-found an organization that saved over thousands of women and children from sex slavery.

This has taken me much longer than usual to compile my thoughts, what was previously a jumble of anger buzzing around in my head.