The difficulties that women face today range from deciding what to make for dinner to how to survive on a day-to-day basis. The 11th Annual Interfaith Conference, held at Bakersfield College on Oct. 4th, focused on the topic of “Challenges for Women Around the World.” The event was held in honor of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, and it reflected his stance on equality for women.
The event started off with a universal prayer and was then followed by five women speakers. The first speaker, Dr. Hansa Patel, discussed Gandhi’s views on women’s rights. Patel said that Gandhi considered all souls the same, regardless of outer appearances. Patel also said, “women have been repressed by the laws of men.”
Lucia Munoz spoke next about the struggles of Latin American women, specifically the femicide in Guatemala. According to Munoz, the killings in Guatemala are a result of the government’s lack of support for military after they return home from war. “This is not about where women are from. If they kill one, one is too many,” said Munoz. Munoz felt that something should be done by the American government to prevent to killing of two women a day in Guatemala. “We’re focused on the other side of the world, but there’s war in our backyard,” she said. Munoz urged people to get involved in protecting women’s rights, whether it is abroad or at home.
Next, Karema Amin, a teacher at BC,?spoke about her experiences as a woman from Palestine. She talked about how she moved away when she was young, so she missed experiencing the poverty, war and poor economy. Amin?spoke about her visit there, and how people have a “wonderful spirit” despite the fact that they were living in poor conditions. She felt that women were doing better in terms of getting an education and that the oppression of women in the Middle East is based on different generations treating women differently.
Prabha Deneja spoke about Hinduism and women. “A woman is the nucleus of which family and society revolve,” said Deneja. According to Deneja, the seclusion of women is unknown to Hindu society and was introduced by invading rulers who made women the victims.
The next speaker, Yuki Takeuchi, spoke about her personal experiences as a Japanese woman. Takeuchi, a professor at BC, felt that women in Japan “[didn’t] seem to be oppressed by men, but we are expected to be submissive.” She related the story of how she was once told during a job interview that she had too much education. “I think keeping silent never changes how it is. We need to realize we need to speak up,” said Takeuchi of women in Japan.
Mary Harp, who brought her two daughters to the event, enjoyed the event and thought the speakers were informative. “I think it’s important for them to know how women in other countries were treated,” said Harp. “Even in the U.S., it happens.”
Miranda Iacopetti, a 6th grader, came because her mother asked her. “It’s really inspiring, I really want to learn more about it,” said Iacopetti.