Kyle Aerne UNIV 101 LBC Reflective Essay I went to the Girl Rising LBC Event that took

place in the Student Center and was hosted by Tri Sigma. The event took place last Monday on November 25, 2013. I came into this event thinking that womens rights was no longer an issue in todays world. After seeing this movie, I am needless to say, very surprised at the way some of the worlds women get treated. In America, women activists settled things in the sixties and seventies and women have slowly earned their rights. Women are still tortured and treated as slaves in other countries like Nepal. They are deprived of education and are worked from four in the morning until late at night. My reaction to this event was very uneasy. It actually made me a little sick to think that women could be raped in other countries and it is as if nothing happened. Slavery was an issue in America about 200 years ago. The issue is completely past us. It never even crossed my mind that something like that could still be occurring in todays world. This documentary relates best to chapter 11, appreciating diversity. We need to learn how different these countries can be from ours and that some things that we could not even imagine being acceptable in America are still widely used in other countries. We need to respect the way things are in other cultures but a line needs to be drawn somewhere. It doesnt matter what culture you are in: slavery and rape should not be accepted anywhere. I have learned to respect the traditions and cultures of other countries but for a woman to not have credibility after being raped is just absurd. That should not be acceptable in any culture.

I will use my knowledge from this to inform others about what is going on in other countries and how women are being deprived of an education. I may only be able to make a little effect but if everybody chips in, awareness can spread rather quickly. Almost everyone in our society does not believe that any of the things portrayed in the documentary are occurring legally in America. I think I will also be willing to respect women a little more because this movie touched me a little. I would recommend this event for any man or woman. For men, it can motivate them to respect women a little more and understand what is going on outside of our country. Women would like watching it because it makes them want to change the fact that their gender is being discriminated against in other countries. It will make them want to promote equality for their kind. If I was to see a video about men being raped and enslaved by women I would be enraged with anger and want to take action as soon as possible. This issue needs to be solved very quickly, no matter who solves it. It could be the United Nations, the United States, or any other organization.