A Letter to Her

"Owe it to the slut, who doesn't fuck, but still a slut!!—because she didn't let him hit."

~Alysia Harris.

Ladies, how many times have we tried to embrace people by understanding?

How many times have we chanted to ourselves, 'It will be okay'?

How many times have we tried to silence our cries when we lost our smiles? When we lost what we could call ours?

How many times have we tried to impress?

How many times have we compromised, explained ourselves too much so that nobody gets you wrong?

How many times have we tried to save someone with our love?!

Here's to the moments I wonder what is in a name in the middle of a whole lot of rape culture.

Men use morals and rules to make women sacrifice everything. Culture has been used as a reason to abuse women.

Society has built its structure and foundation around what a woman should be and not be.

We have conformed. We have been on our knees hoping, praying, to overcome how unclean a man's unwarranted touch made us feel. We have shed tears— We have screamed to the top of our lungs till there was no more fight left in us. The only comfort we were embraced with only left thorns and open wounds.

Our mother's have told us, 'It has happened to the best of us'— Just like that, our pain was normalised. It was belittled.

Our mother's did not know any better.

That is how they were told it was their fault and they had to live with that. Once again, men are protected by virtue of being men. When will women be protected by virtue of being a woman?

When will I not double back when I see a group of men? When will I not pretend to take a phone call when I see a group of men approaching? When will I not feel unsafe?! When will I walk these streets and it will not reek of lust and animalistic drives?!

When will I not have to spend money on buying a pepper spray? Or hold the keys in my hand a bit too tight till it bruises? Let me make it clear to the men who are disgusting enough to openly assault a woman and pin the blame on them:

Women are not the whores you watch on your favourite pornographic video. Women are not objects, toys or your play things. We are human beings and our dignity ought to be upheld.

Watch those hands! Watch your mouth! Watch your thoughts— You do not own any woman just because you feel horny enough to have one. You do not own any girl because you feel like she is not old enough to know what rape or sex is. You do not have any right whatsoever to abuse a woman. Our legs are not be pried open for your satisfaction.

We are not some nut you can crack up and have a taste because you cannot control your sexual drives. You were born out of a woman!

Respect your genesis!!!

Here's to all the women who are still moving on despite their pain.

Here's to all the women who are empowering themselves above and beyond their pain.

Here's to all the women who speak up for women related issues even if they have never suffered extreme injustices.

Here's to women who cry for their fellow women.

Dear her,

I hope you can speak up about it.

I hope you tell your story for the whole world to hear.

Do not normalise your pain just because you are protecting a man's unwarranted behaviors.

I hope you will have someone to not shun you for your experience.

I hope you will be strong enough to walk with your head held high.

This is an elegy dedicated to the priceless innocence that was lost and stolen from you.

Nothing but cocoa love,

Samita Mwanicky.

Happy International Women's Day! 🌟🤎

So much love from Yuna Initiative!🥰🌻