Female discrimination still a major problem at home and abroad

The ability, or failure to protect women from all violence is on the news agenda today.  China’s patting itself on the back as a new law has recently resulted in the first successful prosecution in a sexual harassment case.

This is certainly a welcome step in the right direction. But in a country where forced abortions and other issues surrounding discrimination against women are still a real concern, there’s clearly still a long way to go in China.

Meanwhile, implementing a new law to protect women is good of course, and other countries should do the same.  According to Amnesty’s report published today, Venezuela’s government is failing to protect women from domestic abuse because of its reluctance to put even existing laws into practice.

Every year thousands of women in Venezuela are raped, beaten, and verbally abused at home. But there are currently only two refuge shelters for women across the whole of the country, and in general the response to addressing such crimes is feeble.

A lot more needs to be done to protect those women, and now there’s a law in place it’s definitely time for that country to improve conditions for women at risk of abuse.

Just before I sign off, thought I’d mention Libby Brooke’s opinion piece on Comment is Free. She argues that more attention should be paid to working out why men rape, rather than focusing on the women who have been raped.  She also states that women are too often treated and described as the ‘victim’ rather than the ‘survivor’ of this dreadful attack.

I’d agree that the British population has quite a way to go before discrimination against women who have been raped is really a thing of the past.