The UDHR turns 60! (and I'm sick ... again!)

Ok, ok so it was yesterday, but forgive me for being late. I'm sick . . . again!

60 years is a momentous anniversary, but to me it really signifies how far we have left to go before women's worth and value is really taken seriously. Take for example Article 5: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Now let’s look at the facts:

- In the U.S. every two minutes someone is sexually assaulted;

- In the U.S. every 15 seconds a woman is battered, usually by an intimate partner;

- Globally, at least one in three women and girls are beaten or sexually abused in their lifetime.

- Fewer than half of all rapes and sexual assaults and only about half of domestic violence incidents are reported to the police.

- When factoring unreported rape cases, only one out of twenty rapists ever spend a day in jail. 19 out of 20 walk free.

How is this humane or just? Let’s hope with the election of Barack Obama that women will begin to be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve as human beings.