Were You Asking For It? by Isabel Lardner
“Yeah, but were you asking for it?”
These are the words that shattered for me the illusory America I once believed in: the place where if I did nothing wrong, if I told the truth, I would be safe. This is the question that haunts every rape survivor, every survivor of sexual harassment, every woman who takes the bus home late at night and has to pretend to herself that she doesn’t see the predatory grin of the man who chooses, of all the empty seats, the one right behind her. If she doesn’t pretend, if she recognizes the smile for what it is, she has been taught to wonder,
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Killed for being a woman By Patricio Hernández Senosiain
As a young man living in Mexico City, I form part of a demographic that enjoys unparalleled privilege. During my life, I’ll get to earn 1 dollar for every cent a female counterpart makes, I will be expected to work and follow my dreams instead of staying at home cooking and cleaning and, when I walk down the street, I won’t get catcalled or whistled at. While these are all terrible symptoms of the patriarchal society I live in, as well as significant challenges Mexican women face daily, they don’t compare to the constant threat that they face every time they use public transport, or walk alone by night, because the fact remains that Mexico is, to this day, one of the most dangerous places for women in the world.
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Essay by Deren Alanay
“Where is your husband?”
“I don’t have a husband.”
“Aren’t you twelve yet?”
“I’m seventeen.”
“Oh, you’re very late! My five sisters got married at twelve, one even had a baby!”
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Essay by Mominah Junaid
She was an educator. Before that she had been a journalist for 10 years and before that a student of international relations. We had just concluded an intriguing discussion about approaches to education. I marveled at her wisdom. Yet the moment the conversation turned to women’s rights, my relative said something that immediately chilled me to the bone.
“Rape isn’t real”.
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"A Bride for an Eye" by Sarah Mujtaba
Imagine a life where you cannot leave the house, cannot get an education and are always told that since you are a woman you have no rights. You are not as good as your brothers or the other male members of the family.
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"Ruqsana And The Sun" by Anam Ahmed
Born in 1954, now a mother of four children, Ruqsana was a force to be reckoned with. Raised in the heart of her village, in a sturdy, concrete home, with a section in the middle without a roof. Not due to any natural disaster, but rather made so that she could grow a plethora of plants.
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"Killed for Being a Woman" by Patricio Hernández Senosiain
As a young man living in Mexico City, I form part of a demographic that enjoys unparalleled privilege. During my life, I’ll get to earn 1 dollar for every cent a female counterpart makes, I will be expected to work and follow my dreams instead of staying at home cooking and cleaning and, when I walk down the street, I won’t get catcalled or whistled at. While these are all terrible symptoms of the…
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