In our society, despite the long years of war and the ongoing bomb attacks in our streets, it is our own people who are the main cause of violence against women.
Whether they are young, teenage, or old, people in our society bother women in various ways. My society imposes so many limits, it looks like a jail to me. I am a prisoner day and night. In my society a woman doesn’t even have the right to wear her favorite dress. She can’t wear the outfit she most enjoys. If it is colorful, stylish or graceful, people stare at her and make fun of her, using their bad language. It’s very hurtful to us to have to endure this.
We don’t have the right to advocate for ourselves. We are not supposed to speak or laugh loudly even among our women friends. If we laugh or talk loudly people call us whores and say we are calling attention to ourselves by being loud. They think women should speak softly and just smile.
Our women are not safe from being bothered when they go outside. We are afraid day-by-day of what new event will happen. Sometimes a man will come up and walk beside me, or he will block my way and annoy me by hand or his tongue. He tries to make me his victim, physically and spiritually. He harasses me with his jokes and tries to touch my body in crowded places.
These are shameless people. We women can’t prevent them from bothering us. We want to rescue ourselves from these people and society. But I don’t know how. I don’t know what is the solution.
Day-by-day we get discouraged because we lose our liberty. These situations are the main cause of depression and fear. Women become frightened by our own society.
Most Afghan women suffer from these problems and they resent being in this situation. It is like when a person wants to kill someone with a low dosage of poison for a long time. It kills a person gradually. Women like me are a sacrifice to violence. Society must join hands together and pave the way to end violence against women.
By Beheshta
Beheshta — Thank you for writing these hard truths about what it is like to be a woman in Afghanistan. It makes my heart ache that you must endure such treatment on a daily basis — and feel as if you are in jail. You are doing all women a great service to talk about what is wrong and say that it is everyone’s job to fix this problem. I hope many will read your wise words. Nancy
Thank you dear miss, thanks for giving me encourage, I am indebted-ed of your helps and merci,.
Beheshta, this wonderful piece of writing helps me understand your life and your hardships. I have heard this on the TV news but it did not seem true. I felt the truth and hurt and anger in your words. The great man, Gandhi one said “There is so little we can do and so crucial we do it” You have written this. Now it is crucial that I do something to help.
Thanks alot dear Kathleen,
Yea exactly ,
Behishta:
This essay was wonderful and powerful, Afghan Life is like this.
My pleasure Dear Arifa jan.
Beheshta Jaan
You have written the sad truth beautifuly, I hope and wish for better life one day soon for all afghan women.
Keep up your good work.
Yea Dear Mahwash, me too. Thank you my esteem.
Writing will be your tool, keep doing it and make it a poison of good to fight agains the poison of gender violence.
Ok dear surely,