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Here’s a very scary statistic:
According to the United Nations, up to 7 in 10 women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their lives.
Just take a second to digest that number.
If it seems high to you, it is probably because many victims of assault do not speak up about it. There are many psychological reasons for this, and while we cannot judge them for their silence, a consequence of this is that their abusers often go unpunished.
This is why this video of a girl confronting a man who touched her inappropriately on a flight in India is so powerful.
In the video, which is quickly going viral, the girl, who is behind the camera, loudly shames a man who apparently slipped his fingers through the seat to touch her. He was going to do it again when she confronted him.
The man does not deny touching the girl, and tries to hide his face while asking for forgiveness. The girl who speaks to him in a mixture of English and Hindi does not let him off the hook. She exercises her right to be heard by calling him out on his despicable behaviour so that the whole plane can hear.
In a transcription done by Buzzfeed India the girl says:
“What forgiveness are you asking for? Did you do it only once? Was it by mistake? Look at how old you are. Old moron. Half way into your grave and still not wise enough. Say more? Say more, come on. I’m videotaping you, mister! If you ever do this again, you’ll remember this episode. You think us girls stay silent and you can do anything, right? Look here. Why are you so bashful now? I will call security. I’ll make sure I make a complaint.”
You can watch the video here:
In the video the girl rightly points out that men believe they can do whatever they want because we are the supposed weaker sex and they assume we will keep quiet. It is the short skirt debate all over again.
The fact that she stands up for herself in such a patriarchal society is even more powerful. By standing up to her harasser, she embodies the very strength all women have inside them. She gives me the courage to stand up and say: "No you can't just touch me. No I'm not flattered by your catcalls and my short skirt is not an invitation for you to do whatever you like to my body."
This girl is an example to us all. We should not be silent. We should stand up for injustice. We should not let people who harass or abuse women get away with it.
