At any age for every person anywhere in the world, one of the most precious moments is being in a mother’s warm arms. Have you ever thought about what it takes for a mother to be a source of joy for everyone?
I believe mothers must be women who find their own joy, make their own accomplishments, and are free and independent. It is hard to think that anyone would wish ill on their mothers. So, why doesn’t the world fight for gender equality and women empowerment?
I was born in a family where my voice has been respected since early childhood. I made friends as I liked, wore what I wanted, and studied whatever I deemed interesting. It was a normal state of affairs for me to grow into independence, take a stance for myself, and be free in my own decisions. It was soon that I realized I just got lucky.
As a teenage girl, I was invited to a wedding of a relative, a wonderful event one might think. Yes, but only if the bride is not kidnapped and forced into marrying a person she has never seen in her life. I didn’t see the spark of happiness a “normal” bride would have. Instead, they were extinguished eyes of a person whose life, dreams, and hopes were stolen by her family, all because of a national tradition.
Years later, I learned that this was just one of thousands and thousands of unfortunate stories about women who have been limited, suppressed, and rejected in their personal and social lives. I came to hear a myriad of those heartbreaking memoirs as part of the International Committee of the Red Cross, while working as a teacher of international law, and by simply speaking to women suffering from inequality and abuse.
Some people say we live in a time when feminist ideas are flooding the discourse. Well, I say not enough if girls are still disadvantaged in education, healthcare, and participation in political and public life—and the list continues on. We should turn this into a list of what women have achieved, and not what they have been deprived of.
As a mother of a baby girl, I am dreaming of a world where her voice is as strong as anyone else’s, her life, designed by herself, benefits from all the wonderful things our world has to offer, and her wings shall never grow tied. I dream of a world where all mothers and all women are happy.
———–
Get a copy of WE HAVE A DREAM 201 Dreams 201 Countries