Pauza Magazine Winter 2008 | Page 5

Contest winners pose with American Corner, US Embassy, ELTAM, and Peace Corps staff at the December 10th reading at ACM Human Rights and Discrimination Nina Janeva, 10th grade A world of discrimination, segregation, and injustice or a world where all the people are happy and have all human rights? Each person in the world has the same human rights and a right to live free. Each of us breathes the air, drinks the water, each of us is made of flesh and blood, then why don’t we have the same rights no matter the skin color, religion, ethnic class, origin or gender, no matter whether we are rich or poor, black or white, woman or man, from one religion or another? This world has to be a place where each person will have a happy life without discrimination, and will enjoy all human rights. Unfortunately, there are many examples of discrimination and breaking of human rights. We live in a very dynamic and modern society where the people are not very humane and don’t care about poor people, people with disability, children who suffer for food, black people, etc, etc… All the people have the same Discrimination of Gender Olja Stojkovksa, 8th grade What is discrimination? When some people hate and don’t respect others? Around us there are a lot of stereotypes and prejudice. In my essay I talk of discrimination of gender. I touch some points of discrimination of women, and on the way I would like to find a solution so that women can be equal with men. In the past there was patriarchal society. Then people l ived in small houses made from trees. In those homes women took care of their children. Men protected their family, they hunted and supported it. This work of women was difficult as the work of men but then they were discriminated. Women didn’t have the right to vote and the right to say their thoughts. They couldn’t tolerate that and with their revolt, their rights are better, but they are still not equal with men. In current time discrimination is on lower level, but it exists yet. So women are not equal with men in their work place. For the same job they get less money than men. For that income, their physical appearance is guilty. Men are brave and strong. For this reason they get more money. On the other side, women are soft, not so strong as men, and usually they work like secretaries, shop assistants, teachers, etc... But I ask myself why, when someone has a defect with electricity in their house and they are going to call an electrician, they would like a man to come. Why not a woman? This is a typical example of stereotype. * Essays printed as read at the December 10, 2007, ACM presentation. rights—me, you, every person on the planet! Let’s make this world a better place for living, without difference among people, let’s fight for ‘better tomorrow’ for all people. Don’t think just for yourself, think for a moment for the people who don’t enjoy the human rights as they should and are treated like animals, because they too have the same feelings like you, they know to love and suffer and they feel like you. Like in the past, today as well there are examples of discrimination of the black people and in many places there is a difference between the black and the white people. Are they somehow guilty because they were born with black skin color? Of course, they aren’t! And because of their skin color they can’t enjoy their human rights like the white people? Every day we are witnesses of discrimination of black people. All the white people see the black people with irony, most of the white people think that black people are liars, thieves, and there are other negative opinions. Moreover, discrimination of women exists in political life. It is easy to believe that men are better presidents. Why do we really think so? It’s prejudice that men are better presidents than women because they can better care for and protect the country. On the elections, the number of nominated women is smaller than the number of men. It’s proof that they are discriminated in political life also. Another problem is the physical appearance. For example, there are often jokes about blondes. In them people talk that they haven’t got brains, they are stupid and they are treated as objects. In this way, blonde women are discriminated. From all these examples we must find some solution so that women should be equal with men. For the same job they should get a salary as men and people must respect them more. Also, there should be training, more workshops, discussions and public debates where men should say why women are discriminated. When people in the world do this, women won’t be discriminated, they should have all the rights that men have. I definitely that discrimination in the world exists. We must make a decision about discrimination of gender—women. winter 2008 -