Cries of Women: Voices Against Oppression

For centuries, women have been denied basic rights and freedoms, and have been subjected to discrimination and marginalization throughout the world. Despite the efforts of women's rights activists in recent decades to raise awareness of these issues and bring about change, two tragic events in 2022 serve as a stark reminder that the autonomy and rights of women are still under constant threat of oppression. On June 24, the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade case, thereby stripping women of their right to make decisions about their own reproductive health. This decision was met with widespread protests, as seen in photos taken during a demonstration at the Texas Capitol in Austin on the same day of the decision. On September 16, the 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini was brutally murdered by morality police in Tehran for not wearing a hijab. This tragedy also sparked protests around the world, including in Toronto, home to a large Iranian community. These women are crying in anger against patriarchal systems and systematic discrimination. They are crying in horror at a future that should be dead in the past. They cry not just for themselves, but for their daughters, granddaughters, and future generations of women, who deserve to live in a world free from oppression.