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Feminism is necessary. Rebellion is a must.
Women are now free to talk about harassment more openly than before, but people still consider it shameful when a woman talks about her rape. The woman or girl who was raped is not given any rights to speak up about it. This might be because of her own, internalised fear, but mostly it’s because she will have seen people treating victims of rape like rubbish. She fears that this will represent their behaviour towards her as well. So it isn’t just the fear that the victim has within herself, but also a fear of the people who are around her: her family, friends, neighbours… The fear of a society… which has repeatedly shown her what she has to fear.
The girl,
Who you have listened to stories about,
The stories of bravery, achievements,
Struggles and fights,
But
Every time in return She hears
‘You did it… Like a man.’
She always hated hearing this
She wanted to do
More than a man
Because society teaches
This to her.
Those men,
Who had been shown as
Ideal to her were not even humans,
But fierce beasts,
Born from the body,
They were calling contemptible,
Born from a woman.
She no more feels like herself,
Despite of all the fights,
And struggles,
And knowing,
She was more
Than a man already,
But,
She is still a contemptible thing,
A thing, called woman…!
Because
You took everything,
You took her
You touched her body
In different ways
And it hurt her soul for months
Her outer shell is no more different,
Yet
She is different now,
She is the girl nobody wants,
A shame.
When will this come to end? All of these threads, all the fears of losing self-respect because of the hands that touched her.
Reverse it all: put the shame on the rapist and not the victims.
I feel worst on some days when I call a woman strong and can’t actually see this in reality. We don’t need to beg for rights, because we already have done so. Women should surely be rebels more than feminists. We should have the ability to not only say ‘no’ but make that no be heard.
When they tell you to not do something, because girls should not…
Do it, be a rebel.
When they tell you to be quiet when a man touched you and you aren’t supposed to say anything, because ‘you are a girl’ and it will be considered your fault…
Speak up, be a rebel.
When they force you to hide your scars; not only the scars of your body but of your soul…
Advertise them, be a rebel.
Noorulain Ayesha
I am Noorulain Ayesha, an Electrical Engineer, nature lover and author of ‘The Unknown Journey’, ‘Heart to Heart with Nature’ and ‘Sunshine of your love.’ A feminist.