Princess Pyro
New Member
In Western Australia, we have a thing called Country Week. What it is, is all the schools from regional areas get together in Perth and compete against each other in different sports. They even have a 'sport' for all the nerds
So I decided to ahve a shot at Speech and Deabate. Yesterday, I had to do a 2 minute speech, as a trial to see if I've got what it takes to be on the team. Anyway, here is the speech I wrote. I thought I should post it on here, seeing as it's about womens rights
You may, or may not know, that today is International Women’s Day, a day to help bring change in the way women are treated in our society. Many of you may think that violence against women is a thing of the past, that arranged marriages no longer happen. That feminism and the fight for equal rights for women is a thing of the ‘70s. But sadly, this is not the case. Everyday in Australia, and throughout the world, women are abused, and discriminated against. In this speech, I will tell you about some of the atrocities committed against women, and why we need to bring change.
Many of the young women in the room are probably thinking about the Ball, wondering what you’ll wear, who you’ll take, how you’ll get there. Others may be thinking about what they’ll wear tomorrow, or how they should wear their hair. Or perhaps you’ll be thinking about your boyfriend, or that hot guy you’ve had your eye on for a while. Meanwhile, in a country such as Saudi Arabia, a young woman of our age, is thinking about the man she will be forced to marry. A man who could be many times her age and possibly already has 3 other wives. Many of you complain about being at school, about how it’s a waste of time. In most Asian and Middle Eastern countries, had you ever gone to school, you would have already left. Already married to a stranger, with no future, except to bear children.
I have no doubt that many, if not all, of the people in this room have, at some point, had an argument with their parents. It might have been because they wouldn’t let you go out with that boy, or they wouldn’t let you wear that skirt, or because you had a curfew. But imagine living in a society where even asking to go out with a boy, or showing even a small amount of skin could cost you your life. In many countries, even being seen with a man you’re not related to, could cause your death. Every year, so called ‘Honour Killings’ take the lives of as many as 5,000 women. Many who were doing seemingly innocent things, like talking to a man they weren’t related too.
Some of you may have seen a show on SBS called Russian Dolls. For many people, this show is entertainment. But for the 500,000 women that are trafficked annually, it is a grim reality. Many people believe that the women that are trafficked are willing to sell their bodies to rich Western men. Many of these women come from poor countries, where the only way they can get money to help feed their families, is to sell themselves into a trade, where many suffer cruel sexual torture. Some may never see their homes again.
Many of you probably think that the revolution for women’s rights ended with the burning of bras. But while women in the West were burning bras, many women in the East were wishing that they could cast off the shackles of a male dominated society. Wishing that they could show their faces, wishing that they could drive, wishing for the simple freedoms that we take for granted. Many women in Western societies are happy to earn 75% of what their male counterparts do. Many women are pleased with the standards by which we live. But women still suffer in silence; for fear of death should they raise their voice. Many women are still tortured by their male relatives, for the most innocent of things. So I beg you to stop, and think about our sisters in foreign lands, and the suffering they must endure each day. And one of the saddest facts? In the two minutes it’s taken me to read out this speech, 2 women in Africa have been raped. The men responsible will more then likely never be brought to justice. More alarmingly, 8 women in America will be victims of some form of domestic violence. That’s 1 woman every 15 seconds.
You may, or may not know, that today is International Women’s Day, a day to help bring change in the way women are treated in our society. Many of you may think that violence against women is a thing of the past, that arranged marriages no longer happen. That feminism and the fight for equal rights for women is a thing of the ‘70s. But sadly, this is not the case. Everyday in Australia, and throughout the world, women are abused, and discriminated against. In this speech, I will tell you about some of the atrocities committed against women, and why we need to bring change.
Many of the young women in the room are probably thinking about the Ball, wondering what you’ll wear, who you’ll take, how you’ll get there. Others may be thinking about what they’ll wear tomorrow, or how they should wear their hair. Or perhaps you’ll be thinking about your boyfriend, or that hot guy you’ve had your eye on for a while. Meanwhile, in a country such as Saudi Arabia, a young woman of our age, is thinking about the man she will be forced to marry. A man who could be many times her age and possibly already has 3 other wives. Many of you complain about being at school, about how it’s a waste of time. In most Asian and Middle Eastern countries, had you ever gone to school, you would have already left. Already married to a stranger, with no future, except to bear children.
I have no doubt that many, if not all, of the people in this room have, at some point, had an argument with their parents. It might have been because they wouldn’t let you go out with that boy, or they wouldn’t let you wear that skirt, or because you had a curfew. But imagine living in a society where even asking to go out with a boy, or showing even a small amount of skin could cost you your life. In many countries, even being seen with a man you’re not related to, could cause your death. Every year, so called ‘Honour Killings’ take the lives of as many as 5,000 women. Many who were doing seemingly innocent things, like talking to a man they weren’t related too.
Some of you may have seen a show on SBS called Russian Dolls. For many people, this show is entertainment. But for the 500,000 women that are trafficked annually, it is a grim reality. Many people believe that the women that are trafficked are willing to sell their bodies to rich Western men. Many of these women come from poor countries, where the only way they can get money to help feed their families, is to sell themselves into a trade, where many suffer cruel sexual torture. Some may never see their homes again.
Many of you probably think that the revolution for women’s rights ended with the burning of bras. But while women in the West were burning bras, many women in the East were wishing that they could cast off the shackles of a male dominated society. Wishing that they could show their faces, wishing that they could drive, wishing for the simple freedoms that we take for granted. Many women in Western societies are happy to earn 75% of what their male counterparts do. Many women are pleased with the standards by which we live. But women still suffer in silence; for fear of death should they raise their voice. Many women are still tortured by their male relatives, for the most innocent of things. So I beg you to stop, and think about our sisters in foreign lands, and the suffering they must endure each day. And one of the saddest facts? In the two minutes it’s taken me to read out this speech, 2 women in Africa have been raped. The men responsible will more then likely never be brought to justice. More alarmingly, 8 women in America will be victims of some form of domestic violence. That’s 1 woman every 15 seconds.
