It’s 2017 and the fact that we need this blog, focussed on women rights India, convincing the people of the world that women's rights coincide with human rights, points to exactly what and how serious the problem is.

In case you don’t know, the world celebrated the Human Rights day on the 10th of December recently. The day not only celebrated how far we’ve come but also highlights the current situation, telling us how far we still have to go. The world still struggles to establish a concept so simple and necessary such as equal rights for all - something which should come naturally to us. Whether it’s discrimination based on gender, religion, sexuality, race, or caste we still fail to understand that each and every person on this planet is equal and deserves to be treated in exactly the same way.

The world still struggles to establish a concept so simple and necessary such as equal rights for all - something which should come naturally to us

Now, it is only natural and human to hold prejudice against someone and sometimes, you cannot help it, especially if you can see how different someone is, but here's the thing- You don’t have to embrace the difference, all you need to do is accept it. Accept the fact that you are different and accept the difference. Each time you feel yourself inching closer to discrimination, try and walk a mile in their shoes - how would you feel if someone said or did that to you? After all, despite all our differences, aren’t we all human?

Women rights India: You don’t have to embrace the difference, all you need to do is accept it

Through the years, even though we’ve moved forward and accomplished so much, we’ve also carried our prejudices along with us, often disguising it as tradition and calling them preservation of century-old cultures. Take gender inequality for example. And take the ‘tradition’ of women taking their husband’s name after marriage. We have absolutely no explanation for it. We just know that’s how it happens. Our grandmothers did it, our mothers did. We will too. The society has been imposing so many rules and regulations on to women in the name of culture and tradition that we’ve lost count. Women shouldn’t go out at night because that’s against our culture. Women shouldn’t wear this or that because that’s not in our culture. Women shouldn’t eat this or do that. There so many restrictions on women with only one explanation backing them. Freedom is one of the most basic human rights in the world. Then why can’t women enjoy the same freedom that men do?

take the ‘tradition’ of women taking their husband’s name after marriage. We have absolutely no explanation for it

Most men (and some women too!) argue that the situation in the world, when it comes to women’s rights and gender equality in general, is far better than, say, 10 years ago. Therefore, they argue that, we should slow down with the fighting and protesting now. Today women speak up more against sexual harassment, Saudi Arabian women can drive now and men are starting to think before molesting a woman. But here’s my argument - women are still sexually harassed, Saudi Arabian women are still fighting for other basic human rights, and honestly, men starting to think before molesting a woman is hardly an achievement - consent should be your first thought when you approach another human being, be it a man or a woman.

We are not subjected to the same prejudices and illogical rules as our grandmothers and mothers. But at the same time, you have to agree that we are far from resting our guns. Focus on women rights India

See, I’m not going to deny the fact that we have come a long way since we became independent, because we have. We are not subjected to the same prejudices and illogical rules as our grandmothers and mothers. But at the same time, you have to agree that we are far from resting our guns. We still have a long way to go. Because while we can work now, we still have to fight through sexual harassment at workplace, unequal pay, and unequal opportunities at work. While we can go to school now, there are still parents who prefer to send their sons to school over their daughters, girls drop out of school when they reach puberty and those who don’t, are still discriminated against their male classmates.

You know why? Because believe it or not, women are people too

We’re still struggling for the basic human rights that men take for granted. Women rights coincide with human rights, even though it’s 2017.

If you still don’t get it, here’s the deal, in the simplest manner possible - women's rights ARE human rights. You know why? Because believe it or not, women are people too!

-Nandini Arora, part of Safecity’s WritersMovement, works as a Brand Manager in a Software Development company in New Delhi. Although married to numbers, her first love has always been books and writing. She regularly writes about issues such as women’s safety, Feminism, LGBTQ etc. on her blog nandiniaroraweb.wordpress.com