The Weight of Being Blamed

I first began to realize that being a girl came with different treatment when I entered my teenage years. I was expected to wear longer skirts because people believed that wearing shorter ones could cause boys or grown men to see me differently, while boys were allowed to wear whatever they wanted without being judged in the same way. One day, a boy at school touched me inappropriately. When I reported what happened, I was accused of being in the wrong place and was whipped because I was considered a “temptation” to him. Meanwhile, he left the school without facing any consequences. This experience made me feel unsafe and contributed to the many times I was harassed afterward. I could not find the courage to tell my family because I assumed that I would also be judged or blamed. As I grew older, I began to understand that not everyone thinks the same way and that many other women had experienced similar situations as children. Many of them also carried the emotional burdens and trauma caused by those experiences. When I finally spoke to my mother about what had happened, she supported me and helped me begin healing from the psychological trauma I had carried for so long. Do not hold in or silence your voice. Speak loudly and clearly when you need help. You deserve to be heard, supported, and protected.