Princess Sultana's Daughters

five
years, I came to know an extraordinary woman the world now knows as
Princess Sultana in Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the
Veil in Saudi Arabia . What a brave woman! I admire Sultana’s
strength and courage more than I can say for she literally risked
her life for her story to be told.
    After the amazing success of Princess ,
Princess Sultana requested that I continue to write the stories of
abuse that continue to occur in her homeland, Saudi Arabia. And so
I have. Like most women who are mothers, Sultana’s deepest concerns
are for her own daughters, yet I believe that Sultana’s
determination to “right wrongs” also stems from a basic goodness
and desire to help mankind.
    Although my small town American life has been
nothing like the royal life of Princess Sultana, we do share
several common bonds: both of us want to help all women who are
unable to help themselves; both of us are relentlessly determined
to continue fighting the men and women who have made numerous
efforts to stop us from revealing these truths; and, bothof us are
optimistic in character. Princess Sultana and I both truly believe
that by the telling of these true stories that we can make a
difference in women’s lives.
    When I was young, my optimism in all things
knew no bounds. I truly believed that I could solve every problem
and right every wrong. In part I believe this optimism stemmed from
the fact that I grew up in America’s deep south in a tiny town of
only 800 people. Small town life carries a happy innocence that
clings to its inhabitants forever. And, the people in my little
community were for the most part, decent and kind. Due to this
inherent “goodness”, I can’t recall a single incident in my youth
where I felt females were less valued than males.
    Although Sultana grew up in a wealthy
environment that I could not have begun to imagine in my
poverty-stricken youth, I now know that I was more fortunate than a
royal princess, for I never felt I was second-class in any way, to
anyone. This wonderful confidence instilled a great sense of
optimism in my every emotion and action.
    After years of living an adventurous life
that, thus far, has taken me to 66 countries, my optimism has
survived, although it has been battered by the reality of life for
so many women of the world. I have found that the oppression of
women and the social pressures to which they are exposed, are a
worldwide problem. Sadly, some governments and social systems are
downright hostile to their female population. Too many women of the
world are condemned to a life of heart-breaking and even cruel
discrimination. Too many men, who are the world’s social or
political leaders, turn a blind eye to this “war” against
women.
    How anyone with an ounce of feeling
can turn a blind eye to the horrors inflicted on women is beyond my
comprehension. I know that I am haunted by many incidents of abuse
against women. I am sad to report that I have personally seen the
following:
    • While working at a hospital in Saudi
Arabia, I personally knew of young girls admitted to the hospital
to give birth. “Babies having babies,” as we often sadly observed.
For the most part, those young girls were the third or fourth wife
of an aging man.
    • I have seen young Asian women auctioned off
to the highest bidder for the purposes of unlimited sex. I
witnessed young girls, some that looked no older than
eight-years-old, stand weeping as heartless men inspected their
bodies. I was shocked to see that most of the men buying the young
girls were citizens from Western countries.
    • I visited a brothel in Asia where beautiful
young women had been bought to serve men as sex slaves. During the
day the “owners” of these young girls forced them to work in a
clothing factory located on the premises. At night they were
compelled to return to the brothel on the ground floor to allow
strangers to take possession of their bodies.
    • I once saved a young woman from a
slave-like existence an supported her for years. This same woman
later gave her own three-year-old daughter away to a group of men
so that she could devote herself solely to supporting her treasured
son.
    Many well-meaning people have often advised
me to temper my reactions to such abuses, that social change comes
slowly, and that I must be patient. Although history tells me this
is true, as far as I am concerned, change cannot come quickly
enough for young females who are so brutally mistreated.
    And so a