"See what you are wearing!"

\"See what you are wearing! See how she dressed\". That was what my assaulter said while defending himself because I raised my voice to challenge him. So many girls/women all over the world are violated or have their rights violated in so many ways as each day passed by without an end insight. Without the implementation of an instrument like CEDAW that will protect the rights of every woman, it’s going to be a tough fight.

I stepped out of my office to grab some lunch this afternoon. I heard so many side remarks such as “fine girl”, “hey come here”, “she thinks she is fine” from men on the road as they usually do, the riff raffs, the no-purpose guys will call out at you with no respect as they did today. I ignored it all with the intention to go and chat with my Executive Director about this matter. I wanted to ask her if I look like a girl at almost 31, (not that anything is wrong with looking like a girl but our society rules and respects by age, which is a sad thing) when a riff raff as I would like to call him grabbed my hand. I challenged it and told him it was wrong for him to do so but he went on with his friend by his side and screamed “see what you are wearing” among other things he said.

What is wrong with a woman wearing a jeans skirt and a short sleeve top? Does it matter what you wear as a girl or woman anyway? Does injustice or lack of respect for woman need to have a reason?
So many times, the society will look for an excuse to blame the girl child or the woman for getting raped, for being beating up by her husband, for being disrespected by anyone. She must have caused it; she must have done something to deserve it; it’s her fault.

I am here even so angry, even bursting with rage thinking about how we can eradicate all these acts of injustice to women and girls. How can we? How do we?