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U.S.
Military Strategies Ignore Iraqi Girls' Rights |
Posted:
01.16.07
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As President Bush outlines a strategy that would send more than
20,000 additional troops to Iraq, Natalia Thompson, a 15-year-old
student from Madison, Wisc., argues that the United States has
not done enough to support the rights of Iraqi girls.
If you'd like to respond to Natalia's editorial, e-mail
us.
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Last week, President Bush announced his plans to send 20,000
more troops to Iraq (to "help us succeed in the fight against
terror").
Around the world, thousands of bloggers have already typed up
their thoughts on what President Bush's actions will mean for
America, for the Middle East and for "the global war on terror
and our safety here at home" (President Bush's words, not
mine). But those aren't the issues that I wanted to write about.
 I
am, of course, worried about what this will mean for American
citizens, including soldiers and their families. I'm also worried,
though, that the President's plan ignores the basic rights of
Iraqi civilians. The President stated, "For the safety of
our people, America must succeed in Iraq." But in his 20-minute
speech, he said next to nothing about what our military's actions
in Iraq mean for the daily lives of Iraqis -- and, after all,
Iraqi civilians are the ones who most suffer in this war.
President Bush mentioned that terrorists and insurgents have
"responded with outrageous acts of murder aimed at innocent
Iraqis." But what about the American military's own "acts
of murder" against "innocent Iraqis"?
According to a study from John Hopkins University, violence in
Iraq has left more than 650,000 civilians dead since the war began.
That's about 2.5 percent of Iraq's total population -- or about
one in forty Iraqis. Think of what that means for Iraqi families.
In comparison, 0.001 percent of the American population has died
while serving in Iraq.
The President also said that we are working in Iraq "to
raise up just and hopeful societies across the Middle East."
Where is the justice and hope, I wonder, in living in the dangerous
war zone that Iraq has become?
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The effect
of war on Iraqi girls |
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In 2003, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that women and
girls are losing freedoms in the chaos of postwar Iraq. No big
surprise, right? But the stories told in the article are devastating.
Here's what 13-year old Tabarek Mahmoud told the reporters:
"We have had wars and no fun our whole lives. There is no
stability. It is so hot. There is no electricity and the light
is so dim I am damaging my eyes. I am scared of being attacked,
and I see guns everywhere. I just want to enjoy my childhood."
Last month, a representative for UNICEF, the United Nations organization
that works to protect children worldwide, said that "Women
should be equal partners in the future of Iraq, but their rights
risk slipping away without positive action to protect them."
He added, "Women of Iraq cannot wait for more stable times
to receive the support they need. We must act now to empower them
towards realizing a brighter future for the nation as a whole."
Iraq's minister for women's affairs, Ms. Fatin Abdul Rahman Mahmoud,
added, "Women must be involved in all key decisions about
the future of our country and our children. This is the only route
towards a fair society where all citizens can flourish."
I couldn't agree more.
--
Natalia Thompson is a 15-year-old high school sophomore in Madison,
Wisc. She is an accomplished writer, having published articles
and short stories in New Moon Magazine, Stone Soup and New
Moon's blog, where this commentary first appeared. Natalia
hopes to study journalism and international relations in college.
Something to say on this topic? E-mail
us!
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This [teen] is an immigrant from Mexico, and he works long hours at a local farm milking dairy cows, five hours per milking, twice a day.
