A newsbrief surfaced on Feb. 2 on Ms. Magazine’s website revealing that two women remained imprisoned months after violating Saudi Arabia’s ban on women driving. Loujain al-Hathloul and Maysa al-Alamoudi were arrested on Nov. 30 trying to cross into Saudi Arabia with driver’s licenses from the United Arab Emirates.

But they weren’t only trying to enter the country; they were also raising awareness about the unjust ban. Officials had been monitoring their protest movement on social media and were waiting to arrest them as they crossed the border.

Many Americans, including women, look around and don’t see any problems with the world they live in. They proudly declare that they don’t need feminism because they aren’t a victim and just don’t see patriarchy’s influence around them. While they may not perceive the injustice, it certainly still exists. Anti-feminists need to look at Saudi Arabia and other countries where oppression is painfully obvious before saying feminism is something they don’t need.

Saudi Arabia’s ban on female drivers is found nowhere else in the world, even in similarly conservative Middle Eastern countries. But Saudi Arabia does not even have laws that ban women from driving, authorities just refuse to give women licenses and religious leaders condemn it.

Al-Hathloul and al-Alamoudi weren’t arrested because they broke the law; authorities wanted to crush a movement for equality. And if the injustice of this situation was not obvious enough, the pair will be tried at terror court for their “crimes,” according to a Dec. 25 article in The Guardian.

Looking at this situation, it would be ridiculous to think women have achieved complete equality. Saying there is no need for feminism makes these women’s sacrifices seem worthless. Even if one doesn’t see the need for feminism in America, it’s obviously necessary elsewhere. According to the World Health Organization, 35 percent of women worldwide have experienced sexual violence. The International Labour Organization estimates that 11.4 million women and girls are victims of human trafficking each year.

However, these international struggles do not minimize the need for feminist activism in the United States. Women may not be arrested for driving, but sexism needs to be addressed no matter what form it comes in. Every step taken for feminism, no matter how small, is a step in the right direction.

Of course, average Americans are still more privileged than many victims of sexism in other parts of the world. But we cannot turn a blind eye to the world’s problems and ignore our role in solving them. Like those in Saudi Arabia, women suffering from the greatest oppression around the world do not have the power to protest against it. We can use our freedom to give a voice to the voiceless around the world.

Anti-feminists need to look beyond their own lives before they denounce the feminist movement as a whole. Though it isn’t ideal, getting anti-feminists to at least see the need for feminism in other countries is a positive first step. By saying they don’t need feminism, they invalidate the actions of people like al-Hathloul and al-Alamoudi who have given up so much for equality. We must recognize and continue al-Hathloul and al-Alamoudi’s courageous movement so that their sacrifices are not wasted.

Kathryn Krawczyk is a freshman magazine major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at kjkrawcz@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @KathrynKrawczyk.

Published on February 12, 2015 at 12:17 am