Editor,

Recently I read an article in The New times concerning the way rural women are subjected to hard labour and the injustice done to them.

If women can’t stand up and advocate for their rights in villages, little will change. Though the government and other NGO’s advocate for women’s rights, it takes a personal decision if one is to be free.

Some women in the rural areas hide injustices done to them for fear of either putting their husbands in jail or the community knowing that they have misunderstandings in their families.

Many women in the village would rather be battered to death than report their husbands to the police. Justice has to first be understood by a person, then the family and lastly the community.

Value your lives and stop compromising it. This way, you will become the voice of thousands of women in your areas.

Rulindo