Stark Reminder

This blog is largely intended to be a lighthearted and fun look at my transformation as I train for the hardest marathon in Europe (and some would argue, the world) to raise money for Room to Read's Girls' Education Program.

But recently some articles brought to my attention reminded me of the seriousness of why I'm really doing this. One article discussed Rumana Manzur, an Assistant Professor of Dhaka University and a Fulbright Scholar who was brutally attacked by her husband. It is alleged he felt threatened by her education and, when she insisted on continuing her education against his wishes, he chewed off her nose and gouged out her eyes. You can read The Sunday Guardian article here.

Another article explained how a man in Bangladesh cut off his wife's fingers because she insisted on enrolling into college against his wishes. The man, along with members of his family, cut off young Ms Akther's fingers and threw them in the dustbin to ensure they could not be reattached, in the hopes that this would prevent her from pursuing her studies.

Her response: "I have now started practicing writing with my left hand".

The whole BBC News article is available here.

These cases are not isolated or unique - they are just ones that make it onto the news.  Right this very second, all over the world, young women and girls are being refused the right to education simply because of their gender, usually in the form of threats of or actual physical harm. The courage these women and girls possess to continue with their education in the face of these threats and after these horrific injuries highlights how important access to education is, and how often many of us take these privileges for granted.

It also raises the question: what is it about educated women that these men find so threatening???