Since time immemorial, our conservative society has forced its women to suffer in silence when they are molested or harassed.
The society expects us to either ignore or stay silent when a person passes an objectionable comment or touches us inappropriately. And, if ever the voices are raised against the molesters, the society makes sure those are silenced quickly.
Rather than holding the molester accountable, the girl’s clothes or parenting or lifestyle are judged and shamed. The society makes sure that by shaming the victim, it sends across a strong message to the victim and their family.
The objective is to make it difficult for women to speak up against molestation and harassment.
But, a 19-year-old young woman from Bengaluru refused to follow the social norm of staying quiet and shared her brave story. She came out about how she fought against her molester, and it is bound to make you feel hopeful about the future.
On the night of June 2, a 19-year-old woman lived a nightmare, when she was molested by her own neighbor.
According to the woman, who lives with her widowed mother, the man visited her house around 8 pm on and tried to molest her. As per TOI, she stated:
“I heard the bell and opened the door to find my neighbour standing there. He asked for my mother and I told him she’d gone to the market. Suddenly, he covered my mouth with his hand and pushed me towards the floor. I fell down. He locked the door and tried to molest me,”
Recalling the horrific incident, she further added:
“Gathering all the courage I had, I repeatedly kicked his stomach and chest. He lost grip on me, and I pushed him. I ran into the bedroom, locked it and shouted for help through the window. I heard him opening the main door,”Â
Minutes later, when her mother returned home, both of our strong women made sure that they don’t stay silent and raise their voices so that no other young women face a similar trauma in their neighborhood.
The brave mother and her daughter went to the police station to file a complaint. Though the police claim to have rushed to molester’s house immediately after receiving the complaint, but by that time the man fled with his family.
Now, a special police team is on the lookout for this alleged molester.
Though the case has been filed against this man, we wonder how many women silently suffer from molestation on a daily basis.
As a society, we need to celebrate the courageous stories of such young girls and moms, who are choosing to raise their voice rather than staying silent.
If you have any courageous story of a woman driving a social change, please do share with us.
