It’s a scary world

We live in a patriarchal society and it is quite common to see how our society doesn’t like to talk about issues faced by women. Gender is nothing but a socially-constructed concept that is reinforced and exaggerated by our social structures. It is often observed that men are accused of touching inappropriately or deliberately pushing women at bus stands and marketplaces. Many women are still not brave enough to report these crimes to the police as they fear the social repercussion of taking this step.

Such acts, however, have misdirected women’s consciousness and a majority of them end up believing that such exploitation falls within the natural scheme of things. They accept this form of unfair treatment and seldom question it. Women need to be brought out of the four walls and take a stand against deviance. The question is: how can this be achieved? First, we should condemn this culture of silence regarding sexual harassment. Girls should be educated about how such instances can be dealt with. The freedom and silence of our society gives an opportunity to such felons to repeatedly make these hurtful and offensive attempts.

Yusra Moghul

Karachi