Mother. Daughter. Sister. Wife. Woman. But most of all, human. Then why does society as such fail to recognize that? Why are we treated like dispensable objects? Why is it that someone finds a way to round the blame back on to us every time an atrocity occurs? “You shouldn’t have worn such clothes,” “You spoke a little too familiarly,” “You should have been more careful,” and on goes this endless list. Are we not citizens of this society as much as men are? Do we not deserve to live a peaceful and safe life? Are we not allowed to live unless we have our guard up every waking moment of our lives?
WE ARE TIRED
The women in Pakistan are tired and so utterly disgusted by this society that we live in. We are scared for our lives. We are traumatized by the brutality we have to see every day. This brutality that we have to live and breathe in because we have NO other choice. However, what’s worse is that every time such acts of barbarity happen, there is ALWAYS someone who defends the criminal. There is ALWAYS someone who feels like the woman was at fault somehow. But, forget women, things like this happen to innocent children, to animals even. How long are you going to keep defending those who are actually at fault? For how long are you going to enable the perpetrators? How long before you realize that you have made this country a living hell for women, children, animals, and all kinds of minorities?
The crimes against women never seem to stop
Beheadings, rapes, acid attacks, honor killings, domestic abuse. Women were reduced to one hashtag after another. One wrong word, one look, one mistake, and it’s all gone. Your entire life is stolen from you all because of some man who decided that he had the power to do as he pleases. All because our law is not strong enough to protect its own citizens. But it’s not just the law at fault. It’s us too—all of us.
How many times do we see cat-calling and slut-shaming, and we let it pass as the norm? How many times do we hear jokes on working women, and we let it slip as something inconsequential? “It’s just a joke” “Stop being so sensitive.” How many times have we heard these words when we do try and take a stand for ourselves? I personally have had them thrown at me countless times, and at some point, I stopped paying heed to such jokes. I stopped giving a reaction to them. And I am ashamed of that. I should have let myself feel the anger at those stereotypes because my anger was valid. Instead, I accepted it as a norm and let it be.
Conclusion
And so, my message to you all is never to stop fighting. Moreover, change starts in the smallest of ways. Keep speaking up for what is right. Cut people off who refuse to change their misogynistic ways. But most of all, never for one second believe that any of us could have done something to deserve all this pain and brutality. We have the right to live our lives the way we want and NOTHING, and NO ONE can take that away from us. As Dan Brown said, “ The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis
