A number of inspirational events supporting women and human rights took place in Jasper last week.

More than 100 people gathered at a banquet celebrating International Women’s Day at the Sawridge Inn last Wednesday evening. International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.

Friday night, about a half dozen people gathered at the Anglican Church to pray for people struggling on the other side of the planet. This small group extended their minds beyond the Jasper bubble to consider people with problems too great, in most cases, for us to imagine.

And then, reading a national newspaper, a heart-breaking story jumps from the page.

A 75-year-old woman in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to 40 lashes and four months in jail for mingling with two young men who are not close relatives. Saudi Arabia’s strict interpretation of Islam prohibits men and women who are not immediate relatives from mingling.

An area newspaper reported that the woman, a widow, met with two 24-year-old men last April after asking them to bring her five loaves of bread. One of the men was identified as the nephew of the woman’s late husband, and the other as his friend and business partner.

Laws in that country also ban women from driving, and music, dancing and movies are frowned upon. 

Because we’re so used to the beautiful freedom enjoyed in this country, the punishments and strictness of Saudi Arabia seem absolutely outrageous.

A group of Grade 8 students in Jasper recently wrote poems to send to Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan about their homes, to remind them of what they’re fighting for. Imagine what it would be like if those students were restricted only to use certain words, prohibited from expressing an opinion, or banned from conversing with the opposite sex.

International Women’s Day was started in 1911 after Clara Zetkin, leader of the Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, tabled the idea that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day to press for their demands.

Whether we’re talking human rights, feminism, equality– whatever, sometimes it’s hard to believe what still goes on in this world, especially when some places have seemingly come so far.

Taking a few minutes to remember that facing a harsh wind chill or a mediocre season for winter sports aren’t really very big problems after all. Sometimes, in the grand scheme of things, Jasper’s greatest challenges don’t seem all that bad, and that’s certainly something to be thankful for.