HRW investigates global Human Rights issues such as Children’s Rights, issues involving HIV/AIDS, prisons, refugees, arms and international justice. Today I am going to focus on Women Rights and racism which I understand you are familiar which through the study of “A Dry White Season”

Although “A Dry White Season” is a fictional novel, it is a realistic interpretation of the suffrage and experiences of people who lived through the apartheid. Millions of people throughout the world live or have lived in conditions of abject deprivation of, or attacks against their fundamental human rights.

One example of such a situation, as I mentioned previously is the apartheid in South Africa as explored in your novel. The apartheid was invented to cement control over the economic and social system by aiming to maintain white domination while extending white separation.

To achieve this, blacks were discriminated against, denied their basic human rights and subjected to penalties if involved in political protests. Penalties included banishment, life imprisonment, torture and execution. In the novel, we see Gordon and his family endure the distintergration of human rights, which occurred during the apartheid. It explores how what our society relies on for protection, was their source of fear; the government. Gordon and his community suffer economic and social oppression due to their race.

In an effort to change this situation, Jonathon was involved in black protests and consequently died a mysterious death in police custody. Evidently, even students were subjects of racial oppression, exposed to the injustices of the system. Jonathon’s fist experience with the law was when he was accused of abusing a group of older men, although he denied involvement, after subjected to an unfair trial he was sentenced to six cuts which fuelled his desire to persue freedom of injustice.

Gordon experiences further racism as he attempts to investigate his son’s death. Gordon faces incredible difficulty in gathering information and resolutely turned to his white liberal boss, Ben correctly assuming that he would be able to gather information on the death of Jonathon.

We see how Ben, as a member of the white community, has lived a sheltered life, is in a state disbelief when exposed to the institutionalised police repression and racial discrimination of his country. Unaware of the repercussions of his involvement, Ben effectively begins to use his white status to retrieve information on Jonathon’s when he is faced with the death of Gordon, also mysteriously killed in police custody.

In “ A Dry White Season” we see how three men are all killed in the pursuit of freedom. Freedom from fear, racism, injustice. The freedom of speech and equality.

The abuse of women’s rights is another issue confronted by HRW. Men involved in conflicts have raped women as a weapon of war with near complete impunity. In some countries, as a direct result of their assumed inequality, women are beaten, trafficked to work in forced prostitution and excluded from the workforce. Women’s rights are non-existent in some countries, where the women are rendered unequal before the law. Abuse against women is relentless, systematic and most frighteningly, widely tolerated and even encouraged by authorities. Women and girls live their lives in fear of the male race.

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This is an example of a young girl who has been, due to fear of rape and humiliation, denied the basic right of an education after being gang raped by a group of boys at her school.

HRW wants you not only to sympathise for these victims of injustice, but help them with their pursuit of freedom by speaking out like I am now, educate the Western world, we cannot sheltered, we must be exposed use our status to aid those in such situations.