A Letter to Mrs. Obama

Dear Mrs. Obama,

Women in foreign countries are often raped by the armies sent to “protect” them and when some of the women are raped and try to speak about it they are arrested. They are also shunned for having lost their honor. The women in these countries often fear of where they go and who might be waiting for them. We as Americans need to recognize this issue and provide help and treatment for the women. What if it was you, wouldn’t you want a voice someone to help and protect you?                            

        In an article I had read (Libyan Woman Struggles to Tell Media of Her Rape) there was a woman who actually stormed into a government building that had a lot of media. She demanded she get justice for what those men did to her. She yelled and wouldn’t leave. Finally, some of the congressmen actually arrested her and destroyed almost all the cameras and notepads so that no one would have proof that it had ever occurred. Suppose you are a woman who has been raped and you have to live, shunned by the community, knowing that no matter how hard you try, you will never get justice for what those despicable men did to you? The woman who spoke up was interrogated and forced into hiding.

          Furthermore women who have not been affected by this terrible act often shun these women. I believe it is not their fault because these women are uneducated and they will believe most of what their leaders tell them, and when they see a woman who has been robbed of her honor most believe somehow it is the woman’s fault. One cannot even imagine the emotional and physical pain these women go through everyday.

          Imagine the families’ grief and pain over what has happened. If you were in their shoes wouldn’t you be angry, upset, and scared? Wouldn’t you want a better life for the victim? I would. Wouldn’t you want justice? I would. Imagine it is your army that has raped someone near and dear to you. Just imagine. It would be horrific.

These women will most likely be afraid for the rest of their lives. What’s around that corner? What’s down that street? I fear it will haunt them for the rest of their lives, unless we help them.

          We, as Americans, stand for justice and equality, but how can we say that if we do not try to help those around us in need? In this situation we need to set up shelters in foreign countries such as Libya, Africa, Iraq etc for the women to go to, to get help, and to be protected. We also need to send speakers that will talk for these women maybe write an article in a newspaper, or tell their story on TV. We should also make sure it doesn’t happen in our own country.

 Meanwhile, to better protect these women we need to make everyone know the dangers these girls face every single day. I believe we should also start a nonviolent protest, have these women give speeches demanding justice and demanding people to listen to them. This problem cannot be solved overnight but this author believes that if we try hard enough we can give a little peace and justice to those poor women. We need to give voice to the unheard.  

Sincerely,

Faith