Bride Burning In The United States

Across the globe there are multiple issues that affect multiple nations. A particular issue that has been battled for centuries is violence towards women. According to the WHO organization, the world health organization, “35% of women worldwide have experienced either intimate partner violence or non-sexual partner violence in their lifetime”. Violence toward women is global dilemma that any women can fall victim to at any given moment. In the country of South America women have no rights, they are seen as property, something that can be purchased and used as pleased. Women are brought up knowing that they are not equal to men and that abuse is normal in any relationship. These women are beaten for anything and everything, for spilling water

Bride burning occurs in the Middle East, particularly India. The young women of India are brought up knowing that they might endure this. The process of bride burning is starts with a gift that can be accepted or denied. The gift is given to the groom’s family if not accepted then the family pushes the bride into a stove or street, and set her on fire (Kiener). If the gift is accepted more gifts must be sent in order for the new wife to stay alive throughout the marriage. The second growing trend in Iraq, Bangladesh, and Pakistan are honor killings also known as dowry (Kiener). If a family member believes that a woman or girl in their family disgraces them they will kill her. An example of dowry is fourteen year old, Hena Begum, she was repeatedly raped by her forty year old married cousin, after her family found out they all repeatedly raped her and accused her of instigating the affair with the man. The village council then sentenced her to a hundred lashes, the brutality she received resulted in her death, and at the end of her life no one in her family would claim her (Keiner). Although these forms of punishment seem absurd it is a reality that they are faced with

To this people always say “Why doesn’t she just leave?” A woman named Morgan Steiner presented a TED talk to answer that exact question. During her talk she began to talk about her experience with a man named Conor, her abuser. Her response was that “The answer is easy. I didn't know he was abusing me. Even though he held those loaded guns to my head, pushed me down stairs, threatened to kill our dog, pulled the key out of the car ignition as I drove down the highway, poured coffee grinds on my head as I dressed for a job interview, I never once thought of myself as a battered wife. Instead, I was a very strong woman in love with a deeply troubled man, and I was the only person on Earth who could help Conor face his demons”. Steiner felt like Conor was a lost soul and she wanted to save him. But like every woman who loves a man who beats her she was stuck, if she left he would find her and beat her or she could stay and be beaten again. Steiner overcame her fears, talked she told the people who care about her, and even total strangers. Speaking out could save someone’s