The City College Peace and Justice Coalition hosted a discussion April 17 concerning women’s rights issues in areas such as Latin America and the Middle East. The discussion panel included activist and filmmaker Gloria La Riva; Palestinian anthropology student Lena Meari from UC Davis; Dena Al-Adeeb, from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Commission; and Zoya, a Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan member, who chose not to use her real name because of the risk to her life.

“Living in the U.S. often makes it easier for us to forget the struggles of women around the world,” said Sarah Porter, public relations officer for the Peace and Justice Coalition. “Having these women come to SCC helped to remind us of their plight.”

They addressed the issue of “honor killings” in the Middle East, where victims of rape and incest are routinely killed by their families for the so-called dishonor that brings on them. Speakers also focused on a concern for the alarming increase in female suicide as a way to avoid forced marriages. Zoya was particularly critical of the U.S. government’s support of Afghani warlords.

“If the U.S. government really wanted to stop the violence in Afghanistan, especially against women and children, they would stop supporting those who Zoya says have ‘blood on their hands,’ The drug lords who produce 90 percent of the world’s opium, and the warlords who have committed numerous crimes against humanity,” Porter said.