I SPOKE UP! YES! I FINALLY DID!
I have been traveling on public buses since the past six or seven years now, every since I was a teenager. And all these years I had been a victim of sexual harassment. Inspite of being confident in many aspects of life, I badly failed in speaking up against those who harassed me. I always stayed quiet. Thought it was best to ignore. And then used to curse myself for staying silent.
But today I finally got the courage to speak up
The man sitting behind me was trying to bring his hand from the side of the back seat to touch me. I ignored it once assuming that I might be wrong. But no, I was not mistaken! So the next time he tried, I turned around, looked him in the eye, and with a loud voice said: “APNE HATHON KO QABOO MEIN RAKHO.” (Keep your hands under control).
Then when he tried to resist and say he did nothing, I shouted saying “MUNH BAND! AB ZYADA BOLO MAT!” (Shut up!)
The other men at the bus asked him to change the seat and go at the back. But what made me even more upset was that another man who had already asked me to change my seat before (maybe he was aware of it), said “MAINE TOU PEHLE HEE KAHA THA APKO” (I told you so).
So then I said to him: “IN KAMINON KI WAJA SE MAIN Q APNI SEAT CHANGE KARUN.” (Why should I change my seat because of these assholes).
Everyone seemed to go silent. Hopefully in shame. I can’t tell how relieved I felt today. This can only be stopped when we as women start speaking for ourselves and each other. So the next time someone tries to sexually harass you publicly make sure to create a scene and teach him a lesson.
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