Women - The Real Change

Written By: Minza Haque

A woman – she was created by God to be by the side of a man, not to be below him nor above him, just equivalent to him. Why is this statement so difficult to recognize by society?

I’m not a proper writer, just another teenage girl that has completely been outraged and has lost her mind after seeing the documentary ‘India’s Daughter’. For those of you who don’t know about it, here’s a highlight --- back in 2012, in Delhi, a 23 year old woman, Jyoti Singh, was returning home on a local bus with her friend and was brutally gang-raped by 6 men, who ended up murdering her. They then threw the woman and her friend out of the bus and they were discovered by a patroller. The woman was taken to the hospital, but her intestines had been disgustingly taken out and there were no chances of survival, and in 3 days’ time, she passed away. She left, but not without delivering a massively strong and opinion changing message.

The rapists claim to have done the woman a ‘favour’ as through this, they taught other young women a ‘lesson’ that they shouldn't be going out without a family member, mainly a man at night. They say, ‘a girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy’, someone please explain to me, how? Because I have tried looking at this from every possible aspect and have still failed to comprehend a logical explanation. Or maybe my problem is that I’m too open-minded and that I am receiving a proper education. Because I’m pretty sure some people who agree to this sickening statement will be thinking this.

What really got to me was how a so-called ‘educated’ lawyer, A.P. Singh, could go as low as first comparing women to precious flowers and then blaming women to be the cause of rape. Defending these rapists, he said, ‘I would've killed my daughter if she had gone out after 8pm.’ Now what woman wouldn't be influenced by this?

What do we look like to men? An object that can be played around with and not be affected? No man has the right to touch a woman, no matter how revealing her clothes are, no matter what state of mind she is in, no matter what time of the day it is. This is a woman’s ethical, moral and civil right. It’s absurd to even think of how lowly women are taken. We women run families, we are the ones that work day in, day out, not only at home, but in offices, we are the ones who everyone depends on, we are the ones that are blamed if something goes wrong, yet we’re still below men?

The sole reason many of us don’t care is because we choose to be ignorant about it, but why should we wait for it to happen with us or a loved one to take a step? We want to stay happy in our own lives, but what about the world around us? How do we know if our neighbouring lady isn't a victim to domestic violence? How do we know if the little girl working in houses isn't the next Einstein, but she doesn't have the right to go to school solely because she is a girl. Why is the mentality of the 21st century still so low?

The reason is within us. We think of ourselves, our families, not thinking what happens around us may affect us one day. We say times are evolving, but the truth is, until we educate men about what is and what is not a ‘right’, we can’t make a change. We need education. Not only for women who are deprived of it, but for those men who have degrees, yet no rational approach. We need to stand up, not to receive rights for ourselves, but for the people who are living in the dark. This is what I have learnt this women’s day; not that I’m a woman and I have my own rights, but that there are people that are underprivileged and I, being someone who has enough knowledge and resources, am what can lead to change.

We are the change. What matters is how we move towards it. And I for one am ready to do all that I can to attain it.