Rape
She is sitting alone in the corner of an empty room wrapped in a white cloth stained by the blood seeping from her bruises and wet from the tears she has been shedding.
In the other room her mother is being comforted by a few friendly ladies, when she shrieks again “Ooh God they ruined us, disgraced us, why did they left her alive after blackening her face, I wish she would die”
She, a twelve year old tender child hears her mothers mournful cries, her pain intensifies, her body aches and her tears flow even more vigorously, she is shattering into tiny bits but there is no one to console her.
Her mother shrieks again “we can’t show our face to any one, they have corrupted my daughter, they have shattered our honor, I wish I would have died rather than being a witness of such a shameless incident. It is all her fault, it was she who wanted to study like a ‘maimsahab’ (lady), and see now she has painted our faces black”
The guilt, the pain and the agony mounts; she spots a knife lifelessly lying on a dish full of vegetable, left carelessly by her mother. “It’s all my fault, I never listened to my elders, I have brought dishonor to my family, let me ease their pain”. The lifeless knife comes alive and blood drips from its tip. The knife is noticed hours later clutched in a lifeless hand.
Sheeesh!… Silence!… Don’t dare say a word, you don’t have the right to mourn or cry, you are the mother who killed your daughter, you are the people who brought death to this innocent child. You are the culprits, the followers of a patriarch society where women’s worth is her virginity and her virginity a man’s pride.
Category: Ramblings, Short Stories
Have you ever had the chance to audience with a ‘survivor’ of rape?
congrats on making it here
Yeah, well I thought I’d start kicking some @$$ where I know what I’m talking about for starters
NO, No I never got a chance to actually talk or know a rape victim but I have read countless accounts of survivors, medical papers, human right reports for both rape victims and child abuse victims. I pretty much know how hard it is for a rape victim to face the aftermath of the abuse she/a child goes through. The sad part is our society fails to see that, most of us simply ignore the after effects of the abuse which is actually more devastating for the victim. It is like getting burned, if you don’t cool a burn wound immediately with water it will keep burning into the flesh deeper and deeper.
Thank you Batool
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Do you know what its like getting burnt, Jamal?
I have only been slightly burnt more then once, so not really. I can only imagine the pain, scars and an uncomfortably sensitive skin.
Jamal, you’ve brought out the dynamics of the issue of physical abuse with sensitivity and empathy; thank you for that.
Very simplistic approach, i see.
Well, I apologize for the questions. At this point, I should admit that I work very closely with survivors of rape, on a daily basis and your article is, well… an oversimplification of a very serious and complex issue.
Nonetheless, its good that you thought of taking it up. The more we talk about it, the better.
Cheers.
” …if you don’t cool a burn wound immediately with water it will keep burning into the flesh deeper and deeper” … sometimes finding the right emolient for your wounds can take a life time !
i know a couple women,kids who have been sexually abused.
When i saw the title i expected more on the life long trauma that these victims go through. As i reached the last paragraph i quickly scrolled up to see if the authors a male or a female and and i saw what i foretasted
im glad that you’ve written abt the issue. But i cant stop wondering what made you write about it ?