Her Story!

Let us put this straight and clear. This is a continuous chain. Some of our loved ones may have fallen in it. They were targeted, hunted down by vicious men, to 'satisfy' their sexual hunger. It matters too little whether we feel sad or sympathetic for what they have gone through. Because we can't erase their memories. But we can be a supportive force to them. That is the sole motivation to write on this topic. To initiate a discussion and to remind you about those that you know. 

First act  

Let's call her Sheeba. She lost her mom at an early age. Her dad was irresponsible. She had no one to look up to at her home. She was attending tuition classes. She hoped to score good marks in her difficult subject. But what happened to her was a nightmare. We hope no one will have to go through her pain. 

The tutor, a 'respectable man' gained control over her body. She was helpless and weak. A depressed girl with no one to support, she couldn't call out for help. She had no one to lend a shoulder. She started to fear everything. It was learned that she was not the only one. The man, holding a powerful job has been selectively targetting several young girls. He has been making their lives hell for several years. How did it stop? One girl walked away. She reported it to family. Her friends stood with her. They dared to question him. They chose not to attend his classes. They made their friend feel stronger. Meanwhile, news spread in the town about his atrocious acts. People were angry against him. His wife must have been the most relieved person. She suffered a lot under him but had no power to say even a word against him. 

But what about Sheeba? How did she fight it? She was alone and had no one to look up to. Her disturbing days came to an end when someone walked into her life and accepted her. Peace and happiness returned to her life. 

Second act

It came in the form of a college teacher. He was a vicious man. He would carefully pick his targets and establish rapport with them. The parents would trust him because he is a master communicator. If someone doesn't mend his ways, he would create suspicion to parents about the girl's character. 

Our education system is such that even an adult boy or girl does not know how to deal with sensitive subjects. What if those who educate are our oppressors? He behaved like a sexually frustrated psychopath against his own students. Talking to him was torture for many, especially girls. They lost interest in studies. They were depressed. It was not easy to move against him. Many didn't have the courage while some people in powerful positions let them down. The students were frustrated because nothing was happening. But in the end, the charges against him were proven and he was shown the door. This brought their smiles back. 

The third act

He was an alcoholic person. He was suspicious of his wife. He used to beat her with his leather belt. He gained a sadistic pleasure by seeing her in a vulnerable position. She was helpless. She had not many options. Her parents were ageing. They just had a small house already occupied by other members. She had two children. Finally, after a long thought, she decided to go back to her own house. She could not bear the pain anymore. She went to her old school to talk to her teachers. She opened up with them. 

She was thinking about suicide. Teachers made her promise to not entertain such thoughts. On that day, her husband came and apologised to her. She moved along with him. "I don't want to be a burden to my parents. So, I am going," she told her teacher.  

The next day, he came home early. He asked the kids to watch the cartoon. After a while, he called them. "Look at your mom," he exclaimed with wild joy. His kids started crying. They saw their mother's body hanging on the room. The police dismissed it as a suicide incident. The husband had someone to manage it. They diluted the postmortem report, ignored her wounds and thus ended the story. 

Her parents are yet to recover. They took back their grandchildren and joined them in a nearby school. While attending classes, they would often cry and ask to call their mother. "My mother wouldn't have died, had I not watched TV, isn't it teacher,?" The kid asked. The teachers stood there helplessly. 

When compared to the pain these women have endured, nothing much had happened to the oppressors. They are out in public, living with us. They were saved by their community, connections and job power. What about the women? What about the scars they have endured? This is an unfair world. The trauma you underwent has no value if you don't have powerful people to support you. The system is rotten. 

Power is being misused to fulfil their motive and to escape from punishments. 

There are thousands of unheard stories that are not yet reported, not yet discussed. We need to listen to 'her story'. We must stand with those who speak up, we must lend an ear to the silenced ones and we must also look around us. You and I are part of a vulnerable society. Beware! Outside appearances could be misleading. The world is not what it looks like on the surface.