Female foeticide, murdering of women for dowry, sexual harassment of women in work places, rapes, etc. Yes these are all clichéd terms and everyone knows its still happening and it will keep happening and no one does anything about it. You see bright futures for your sons and look for good grooms for your daughters. Why? Why don't daughters get to have a bright future on their own? Why do they have to learn to cook and do household stuff just to get married? Get out of this small box of stereotypical habits and ponder upon what I am going to say next.
I am Sohini Mukherjee, a normal girl from a mediocre Indian family. All my life I was told that I have to be careful on the streets and everywhere because I am a girl. I still have curfews and I still have to call my parents every time I go out of the house. "Girls are not safe in India" they say. "We need to be careful" they say. We can't travel alone, we have to use apps like WithU while coming back from work late at night. Why? Why so much fear? What are we afraid of? Snatchers? Rapists? Then why aren't men scared of the same? Even men get mugged or assaulted. I have never seen men walking in groups because they might be harassed by some street thugs. Then why do women have to be so afraid? Why are they so vulnerable? Because they were raised as so. Ever since we started to understand words we were taught to fear our predators instead of learning how to fight them. We were told to return home before 6 but not to carry a sharp object at hand whenever you are out. We were raised to be vulnerable. And it's high time we change that.
Why this sudden thought?
Because, when today I was watching a daily soap, which showed a bunch of girls kidnapped by few anti-social people, I realized that instead of cowering in fear these girls(there were about 20 or more) could have all tackled these 3-4 kidnappers with ease. If only, they were taught how to fight, if they were taught how to defend themselves instead of fearing others. It was a pathetic scene. Those girls kept weeping and whining but none of them pestered up the courage to fight the kidnappers. If this continues then soon whole of Indian teenage girls will be illegally transported to foreign countries as slaves and prostitutes.
If you want a bright future for your daughter, teach her to defend herself. Make her self-dependent and tell her that she has nothing to be afraid of. Instead of being scared because she is a woman and helpless, teach her to be bold and authoritative. Women have been proved as better leaders and lawmakers. I'm not suggesting a world taken over by women. I'm just asking for a chance to be given to your daughters so they don't end up having unhappy lives where they can't even fight for their own rights.
This is my message to all the parents of daughters out there. Read this carefully. Don't tell your daughters to be away from boys or men. Don't tell them they should be scared of strangers. Teach them how to fight instead. Teach them that they have equal strength and skill to tackle another human being and they have no reason to fear anything. Ask them to carry sharp knives or pepper spray(yeah many do but how many remember to use it?) Teach them to use those sharp knives when in danger. Teach them martial arts like Judo and Karate since young so that when they grow up they can defend themselves. Encourage them to take up physical activities and don't tell them they don't need to because they're gonna get married soon. If you want your daughter to be safe, teach her to be her own bodyguard.
The Indian constitution has several rights for women education. I don't see any being exercised. Despite the increase in literacy rate, women in the secluded sectors of India haven't seen dawn yet. In fact, there are still many villages which have no literacy for women at all. Why can't all the women get equal education and learn physical skills and self-defense?
If you read my pathetic post till this sentence, I request you to please share this post around. It might not be much, but this is all I have. Media is my only way of communicating with masses and I want my message to reach all the parents out there. I'm a daughter too and I know how much you love your daughters and worry for them. But if you truly care for us let us defend ourselves. Teach us to not be scared and I'm sure you'll be proud of us.
I am Sohini Mukherjee, a normal girl from a mediocre Indian family. All my life I was told that I have to be careful on the streets and everywhere because I am a girl. I still have curfews and I still have to call my parents every time I go out of the house. "Girls are not safe in India" they say. "We need to be careful" they say. We can't travel alone, we have to use apps like WithU while coming back from work late at night. Why? Why so much fear? What are we afraid of? Snatchers? Rapists? Then why aren't men scared of the same? Even men get mugged or assaulted. I have never seen men walking in groups because they might be harassed by some street thugs. Then why do women have to be so afraid? Why are they so vulnerable? Because they were raised as so. Ever since we started to understand words we were taught to fear our predators instead of learning how to fight them. We were told to return home before 6 but not to carry a sharp object at hand whenever you are out. We were raised to be vulnerable. And it's high time we change that.
Why this sudden thought?
Because, when today I was watching a daily soap, which showed a bunch of girls kidnapped by few anti-social people, I realized that instead of cowering in fear these girls(there were about 20 or more) could have all tackled these 3-4 kidnappers with ease. If only, they were taught how to fight, if they were taught how to defend themselves instead of fearing others. It was a pathetic scene. Those girls kept weeping and whining but none of them pestered up the courage to fight the kidnappers. If this continues then soon whole of Indian teenage girls will be illegally transported to foreign countries as slaves and prostitutes.
If you want a bright future for your daughter, teach her to defend herself. Make her self-dependent and tell her that she has nothing to be afraid of. Instead of being scared because she is a woman and helpless, teach her to be bold and authoritative. Women have been proved as better leaders and lawmakers. I'm not suggesting a world taken over by women. I'm just asking for a chance to be given to your daughters so they don't end up having unhappy lives where they can't even fight for their own rights.
This is my message to all the parents of daughters out there. Read this carefully. Don't tell your daughters to be away from boys or men. Don't tell them they should be scared of strangers. Teach them how to fight instead. Teach them that they have equal strength and skill to tackle another human being and they have no reason to fear anything. Ask them to carry sharp knives or pepper spray(yeah many do but how many remember to use it?) Teach them to use those sharp knives when in danger. Teach them martial arts like Judo and Karate since young so that when they grow up they can defend themselves. Encourage them to take up physical activities and don't tell them they don't need to because they're gonna get married soon. If you want your daughter to be safe, teach her to be her own bodyguard.
The Indian constitution has several rights for women education. I don't see any being exercised. Despite the increase in literacy rate, women in the secluded sectors of India haven't seen dawn yet. In fact, there are still many villages which have no literacy for women at all. Why can't all the women get equal education and learn physical skills and self-defense?
If you read my pathetic post till this sentence, I request you to please share this post around. It might not be much, but this is all I have. Media is my only way of communicating with masses and I want my message to reach all the parents out there. I'm a daughter too and I know how much you love your daughters and worry for them. But if you truly care for us let us defend ourselves. Teach us to not be scared and I'm sure you'll be proud of us.
Much needed words have been said! Bravo !
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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