"Within those moments of love, my body was a plot of land again which almost every man wanted to invade. To claim it as his own. Touched or abused? I know it not. For him, I was a game of lust. He conquered my body. Marked me as his territory. Yet another victory. Congratulations! Oh abuser", said the girl with tear-filled eyes. The world called her - "a victim". Some said that she was "a survivor". I couldn't help but smile back at them. She needed no tags. She was just another woman, like the rest of us. It was he, who was the "criminal" or the "abuser". He needed this tag. Not her. Not anyone who was abused ever. 

The word 'Raped' is not an adjective. It is a verb. It cannot define a person, be it a man or a woman. It doesn't make someone less of a human.

Victim blaming is the worst we can do as a society. Telling a girl it was her fault that she was raped is same like telling a bank it was their fault that they were robbed. We need to understand this to make the world a peaceful place to live.

So, this Women's Day I want to thank every man out there who has kept humanity alive, men who are supportive, men who know how to respect someone's privacy and to men who understand the meaning of consent.

In the end, Happy Women's Day to every soul that was scarred by this world. Every soul that was body-shamed, cat-called once, twice, thrice? To every soul that had the guts to fight for themselves.To every soul that had to suppress their voice for the society. To every soul that was abused mentally, physically, what else? 

Happy Women's Day to every strong woman out there who chose not to give up, who chose to live, who is strong and knows it all.

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