Are you disgusted by Sexual Trafficking? Show your disgust by wearing a White Ribbon!

Do you know that the pornography industry in our modern society is responsible for the increase in sex trafficking? Pornography use is strongly linked to the purchase of sex, and therefore, to sex trafficking. This is why WISO is anti-human trafficking and therefore "against pornography"? Wear a Ribbon in commemoration of October 28-November 4^th as the wear a ribbon against porn week.

Often when we talk about sex trafficking, people think of foreign girls and women who are brought from other countries for sexual exploitation. While that is true in most cases, sex trafficking is an on-going activity even in our own neighborhood. Have you ever wondered about what happens to girls or young women who go missing and may not turn up for any reason at all? The odds are they are lured and sometimes kidnapped into sex-trafficking business. Sex trafficking is a serious form of abuse because it is perpetuated by powerful and rich men.  

We at WISO join everyone who feels, cares, worries and is disturbed by sex-trafficking abuse in our society to condemn the practice. We join the White Ribbon against Pornography (WRAP) Campaign to express disgust against sex trafficking and call for policies to be instituted to control and protect the rights of those who are sex-trafficked. 

WRAP began with one woman, Norma Norris, in Butler, PA in 1987 after she heard a sermon against pornography delivered by the pastor of her Catholic church. She lived in a community like ours where some may think that people don’t care about the hardcore porn being sold in our community. Norris believed she had to show that she cared. So, she gave herself the challenge to inspire her community and to send out the message: WE CARE! WE COUNT! The plan that Norma thought was too simple, inexpensive, and to catch the imagination of anyone soon became inspirational. Her idea of a simple white ribbon became a symbol of decency. As her movement caught momentum, a sense of morality became part of the discourse in her community. Consequently a call to the need for women to be respected was renewed. These are the basic human rights we should all stand for. Her movement culminated into the eviction and bulldozing of a porn bookstore. Today, millions of citizens as well as organizations around the country work daily to make WRAP a successful annual campaign.

In spite of this achievement, this fight is far from over. We have to keep reminding everyone that girls and women are human beings who should be respected and treated as humans. They are not slaves to be used and abused for sexual or other emotional or economic needs. The community has a larger role in ensuring that this mission is achieved. Talk to your children and friend about the role of porn in promoting sex trafficking. When you buy a porn movie or watch a porn movie, you encourage the abuse of women as sex objects.

We as a society have the obligation to make the right choices. We especially have the right to protect our young girls and women from sexual exploitation. As long as one promotes a form of enslavement, he or she is a slave owner, and a dehumanized being whose humanity has virtually vanished. We should reclaim our humanity and sense of worth and should treat everyone we encounter the same way. Doesn’t the golden rule tell us to ‘do unto others as we would like them to do unto us” This is a fundamental teaching of Jesus, Muhammad, the Buddha, Confucius, and all wise teachers who have always cared about treating others humanely.
Wear a ribbon to show that you prefer decency and that you are disgusted by continuous actions of human and sex trafficking. Together, we will make an impact, however small it may seem.

Why it is important to Vote!!

Hello everyone. I know that some of us are still making up our minds about whether we should vote at all and who we should vote for. The first question we should ask ourselves is: Why should we vote?  Yes, it is important that we vote. Any good and responsible citizen must participate in the electoral process. It is one way to demonstrate that you care about your government, your people and your culture. It is a time that we all come together as a society, community, government to elect leaders that will represent our welfare. Decisions we make by casting a vote affect our lives. If we don’t vote, we let the decisions of others to shape our own lives. Be a responsible citizen, we know you care about your community, your people, your friends and yourself. Make sure you vote in the coming elections.  

But, who should we vote for? This is the six million dollar question. There are many qualities that go into a good leader; character, likeability, ability to be productive, caring and empathetic of his/her community’s situation. Most importantly, a good leader should be one who is willing to acknowledge realities in his and her communities without dismissing any social group as irrelevant. Such a leader cares for the welfare of all and is willing and able to fight for his/her community.

On the other hand, we should watch out for leaders who say one thing and act differently. We should watch out for flip floppers, or those who are insensitive to the needs of those they purport to represent and protect. Well, if you are reading this blog and support our course, you probably know that our values of inclusiveness and compassion will steer us toward a leader who cares for the homeless, abused women, children, and even men. We will lean towards a leader who cares for minority communities including those who have special needs or may be described in society as “abnormal”. A true leader, we believe will stand with those who are vulnerable. He will try to fix situations of those who are struggling in society. He / she will work towards ensuring that jobs are available for all to alleviate poverty in their communities and ensure that all access healthcare as a basic human rights.

As elections take place in your various communities, all over the world, pose and consider seriously what kind of future you want to see your children inherit. Do you want to see a world where those who have specialized needs are ignored as non-entities? Do you want to see a world where women are unable to access healthcare thus increasing chances of all types of cancer and unplanned pregnancies because they could not access initial screenings and birth control methods? Do you want to see a future where your daughters are raped and no one apprehends assaulters because rape is as some potential leaders have claimed “not legitimate?” The latest claim that should send a chill to every women and man’s spine is the claims that “a life /pregnancy resulting from rape is god’s will.  The choice is yours.

As the representative of a non-profit organization, I work at being non-partisan. In our organization we care about everyone, and work for everyone. However, we care about certain basic issues. We care about the human worth of all therefore we care about human rights, women’s rights, homeless rights, all human rights. We support the welfare of women, and the rights of girls to education, and to health care. We care about freedom to worship and hope that some do not impose their beliefs on others. We care about ensuring that elderly members of our community are not left to abuse.

 Although the pundits may remind us again and again that elections are about the economy and jobs, we need to be smart in connecting the dots. Economy is connected to all these other issues. We need jobs to pay for healthcare. We need jobs to pay for education and so on. Well, think about it? We have health conditions that necessitate that we get jobs to pay for our bills. They are all connected. Do these potential leaders make the connections for us?  

Well, there are many issues to consider and so we must be smart in the decisions we make. One very important decision we should make this October and November month is to go out and vote.  Our world needs peace, social justice and morality. We need to cultivate care compassion and love for all irrespective of their lifestyle, race, color, conditions. Make the right choice during this election process. The world is counting on you.

Out of curiosity, we are interested in surveying your opinion on politics as a potential electorate.  Complete the survey below if you can by filling in the correct answer in your opinion. It will take less than 10 minutes to complete the survey.

Please click on this link to complete the survey: https://atrial.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_9sfekgmosmXGt3T

WISO Stops Abuse of Women: Because My Culture Says So!

WISO Stops Abuse of Women: Because My Culture Says So!: How many times have you heard people say, “I do it because it is my culture”? Many times, I assume. They say it all the time. You know, ...

Because My Culture Says So!

How many times have you heard people say, “I do it because it is my culture”? Many times, I assume. They say it all the time. You know, culture is great!! I love culture as well, because culture defines who we are. It gives us our identity. Culture connects us to our families, friends, and a history that is worth being proud of. Culture should make us proud as a people. It should make us feel human and feel wanted and needed. It should make us feel valued.

But wait, what about when culture is harmful? Should we embrace it?  Think about it?

In some communities, it is a cultural thing to discipline wives by whipping. Some women have been killed this way. In others, it is okay to perform female genital cuttings, - a process that involves  the trimming off of the clitoris, labia minora and labia majora and  sometimes sewing completely a woman's vagina leaving a tiny match stick size hole for natural fluids. This is done in order to protect her virginity and chastity. Some girls have died through such processes and many live with health issues that may include; pain, inflammation, swelling, urine retention, urinary tract infection, meatal obstruction and urinary strictures, keloids, dermoid cysts, introital and vaginal stenosis, neuromas, dysmenorrhea, hematocolpos, dyspareunia, infertility, obstructed labor during childbirth, hemorrhage, sepsis, infection, shock, and even death.[i]

In other cultures, it is alright to kill a baby girl after she is born just because the family is fearful of her dishonoring them when she grows up. In such societies, infanticide is alright as it is believed that girls are generally impulsive and likely to be promiscuous that the only way to prevent this is kill them at birth. In such cultures killing a woman who commits fornication, adultery or gets pregnant out of wedlock is common.  In some cultures, such a woman is buried alive or stoned to death.

In other cultures the birth of twins is an omen. Such children are to be thrown away in the forest and left for dead. Oh wait, did I mention that in other cultures it is alright to eat fellow human beings and of course wonderful to sacrifice humans? I could go on and on and on… Did I mention that rape is an acceptable cultural practice in some communities? This will be discussed in details in my next blog topic. I think the point is made!

While culture has positive benefits to the individual, it has its negative side as well. Culture can justify abusive behavior.

When culture undermines any ones welfare, especially health, it ought to be questioned. We should all do what we can to claim our human rights, and God’s creations. Our human worth is much more that what culture can offer. As rational beings, we should all claim our agency as individuals who can think for ourselves and make decisions for ourselves.  While we all love our families, communities, and our cultures, we should consider seriously what they expose us to. When they ask us to succumb to practices that harm us, we ought to stand up against them. Any culture that is proud of itself must protect the health and rights and general welfare of all its members.

Sometimes, this is not easy for some of us, though. That is why everyone needs a friend to turn to when situations like these happen. Be your sister’s and brother’s keeper. Be there for the unfortunate and for those who have no voice in society and probably don’t know how to resist abusive practices in their families, communities and societies in general. Say no to any form of abuse, Say yes to human rights.

Join us at WISO as we stand for the rights of all. We condemn any form of abuse whether cultural sanction or not. We stand for the welfare of the abused. We work to help empower them to say no to abuse. Join us and share your story. It can be inspirational to others. Support us in other ways to help change one life at a time.  Do not forget to visit our website at wiso2011.org and like us on facebook, tweeter, and share our concerns to all your friends. We can all make a change. Lives of millions depend on it. Remember, just one life at a time.

Peace!

WISO President
August 22, 2012

 

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[i] Turner, Dianne. 2007. “Female Genital Cutting: Implications for Nurses” AWHONN accessed at http://nwh.awhonn.org

The Greatest Gift: Help Send a Girl to School!

Hello friends. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for the support you give us for this worthy course we engage in. It means a lot to know that there are many of us out there who care for those who are underprivileged in society.

 I am writing this time with an appeal for one of the abused survivor, who has requested that her name remains anonymous. Because we believe in maintaining the integrity of our clients, I will call her Hope. Hope is in need of a lot of help. As you all know, our WISO organization seeks all ways to help girls, women, and even boys who are in distress. Hope finds herself in this situation.

 Hope was born in a rural community in Kenya in 1992. She has struggled to survive as a girl in a community that does not value women. While her desire has always been to go to school, her family's desire has been the contrary. As a girl, all she is expected to do is grow up quickly and get married to a rich old man who can give them a handsome dowry.

Hope has tried all she can to go to school and all indication show that she is a bright girl who can do very well if given an opportunity. She completed her primary education in 1997 where she excelled and hoped to join a good high school. Her father disagreed with her mother after he neglected the family and was unwilling to take her to high school. He had wished to marry her off after her primary school to obtain dowry from her marriage. This led to her parents’ separation which worsened her situation.

She was taken up by an African Independent Church rescue center where she got a sponsorship to join a local high school. Due to tuition difficulties, she was in and out of school. She was lucky to have been allowed to sit for her final exams in her final years. This kindness enabled her to earn good grades in spite of her difficulties. She scored good grades to secure a chance in a public university.

Hope has had a tough life and she has worked manual jobs to pay her tuition in order to get her diploma certificates. In 2010, she was admitted to a public University but she had to defer her studies due to lack of tuition. Her father refused to pay for her college fees because he does not see value girl education. He is not alone.  Most parents from her community marry their daughters off at an early age. Her father’s interest was to marry her off so her brother could use the dowry to marry his own wife.

Hope needs your help. She hopes that with little help, she can continue with her education at the university in August 2012. She needs about $800 for her tuition and upkeep annually. In order to transcend her abusive situation, she has to be made independent. We at WISO find this at the forefront of our mission. While there are so many girls out there that may be in her situation, we seek to help one individual at a time.

We hope you can join us at WISO to fundraise to send this girl to school. Even a $1 - $5 or what you can afford will go a long way to helping Hope. Visit our website at wiso2011.org to donate or you can also contact us at wiso2011@gmail.com if you have further inquiries.

Those who donate are promised to receive updates on Hope's welfare and you will also be invited for recognition at WISO events. The best of it all is the priceless feeling you get for helping someone in need. This is what we at WISO live for. In spite of abuse in our societies, there are great people out there who truly care and wish to support those who live with abuse. Be one of them. God’s blessings will be abundant as a result. As always, it’s always good to do good. Remember, knowledge is power, but action is powerful.

President WISO

Equal Opportunity is about human nature

What about equal opportunity do people not understand? You would imagine that because we are all human, we would be caring to all as we care about ourselves. Yes, this is what is called "the golden rule - Doing unto others as we would have them do unto us". This the rule about moral behavior that Jesus taught about, yes, Muhammad, Buddha, Gandhi, and all the important leaders we know today seem to be saying the same thing. As humans we should care for each other and try to help out those who are unfortunate. Yes, even Socrates, the philosopher, had his students thinking about this fundamental virtue and as he reminded them all the time, this is the best virtue. Why, it is central to what it means to be human.

Unfortunately, we often see humanity acting on the contrary. This evening I just saw pictures of massacre of innocent people including children in Syria. my heart sank, especially as I watched the children die while other cried ceaselessly. Why do human behave like animals? Why? Why do we delight in hurting others? Why do we not want others to have the same opportunity to services - health, education, environment, leadership roles, legal representation and yes,even eat the same food as us? Why is this a bad thing and such a difficult thing for us? Is it in our nature to be this eveil? Confucious would object to such an assumption. But why does it hurt us that much? Why Why why?

The golden rule is the fundamental teachings behind equal opportunity - accessing same services as others in order to improve our lives. it is essentioally about being human and seeking to transcend our animal nature. Yet, we cannot but wonder why this is such a problem to others? Someone, kindly enlighten me?

Meanwhile, I and my WISO supporters will do what we can to improve the lives of those few that we can. We will change one life at a time, and that makes us happy. We will pay rent for an abused women to help her get out of a difficult situation. We will pay tuition for an abused girl to help her go to school and be independent of her abuser. We will feed those who find themselves in difficult situations especially due to abuse. We will advocate and pay legal fees for any woman seeking legal representation to change her situation. and yes, we will continue to produce booklets on abuse to educate those who might be in similar situation how to identify, and end the cycle of abuse.

Yes, the poor will always be here, but we can change the situation of a few and that is what I call humanity. Let's all embrace it and if you have not ever done so, the feeling is soo good. It is better that all the money in the world, better than all the fame in the world. That, to me is worth it. Join me, as we claim and enjoy our human nature- that which is caring to all, in spite of our means. Thanks for listening. I would appreciate any feedback you have. My love is with you all. :)

Yell about abuse

I worry that most changes in our society today seem to be sidelining the rights of the girl child.  of course boys have their burden as well. While abuse is common in our society, girl children are more vulnerable because of patriarchal assumptions.

You know there was a time that women were treated as property. They could not go school, they could not work, they could not control births, they could be married to old men - a 9 year old girl would be married to a 70 year old. They could be raped anyhowly and no one would believe them if they reported. This is happening again. Do you know why, women are relaxing. We are forgeting that we have to stay strong ion order for our rights not to be trampled on. We can not let our society revert to the 1030's when women were seen as vesells for reproduction. We can not let those day back  when women had no say in any matter.

We are 52% of the world's population and we have more power that we want to acknoeledge. We have to stop this. I do not suggets fighting anyone, but we have to voice our opinion and let the societuies in which we live know that we cannot let women and girls be abused in the name of culture of religion. We deserve better. our daughters deseve better. Our brothers know better and our fathers know better as well. we should educate them athat we love them so much and that they should extende the same love to us. We have to resist any law or change that marginalizes a woman of any social group.

Without laws to protect our children and to prosecute pedophiles, our children continue to live at risk. This is why, I hope anyone who supports us can make it his her mission to speak against any form of abuse. If we see it, hear about it, smell it, or sense it, we should not take it for granted. We could save our girls and boys from a terrible situation. Talks to anyone you meet. Educate them. You will be surprised how little they know about this issue. take it as your chance to do good to prevent cultural and other forms of abuse.

Work with me. Talk about abuse anytime you get an opportunity. Sing about it, yell about it, rap about it. Let people know that it is wrong and that respect of individual rights is worth it. if you want to own one of our T-shirts, so it speaks for you, let us know at wiso2011@gmail.com. I am passionate about this because I know it takes just one voice to make a change. Imagine if they were two, three, four or more voices? We are yet to accomplish a lot more. Hang in there and you will see.

You want to learn more about abuse,read our booklet on various forms of abuse. Email us at wiso2011@gmail.com to order our beautiful T-shirts. Help spread the word.