two crimes against women - one in india and one in pakistan - are poised to be a tipping point in the way women are treated in these countries. both malala in pakistan and the unnamed one in india [we have some rather quaint rape laws that prevent naming of rape victims] have engaged public opinion like no other incident involving women. malala is likely to be nominated for the nobel peace prize. the unnamed one has got her peace, having lost her battle for life.
both cases have reinforced the inherent "unmanliness" of man - malala's case because one cannot imagine a frail, 15-year old being a threat to large, bearded, machine-gun wielding gentlemen [who probably smell], and the unnamed one because how "manly" can 6 men be against a puny 21-year old girl?
two cities, mingora in the swat valley and new delhi, could just turn out to be the fulcrums of women's fight for justice, emancipation from "manly behaviour" and access to simple and basic freedoms: the freedom to learn, the freedom to be happy, the freedom to live.
both cases have reinforced the inherent "unmanliness" of man - malala's case because one cannot imagine a frail, 15-year old being a threat to large, bearded, machine-gun wielding gentlemen [who probably smell], and the unnamed one because how "manly" can 6 men be against a puny 21-year old girl?
two cities, mingora in the swat valley and new delhi, could just turn out to be the fulcrums of women's fight for justice, emancipation from "manly behaviour" and access to simple and basic freedoms: the freedom to learn, the freedom to be happy, the freedom to live.
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