If you are a girl, it is not shocking if you experience harassment or molestation at least once or twice—or even more—in your lifetime. It happens everywhere. It is a haunting shadow that follows you to work, to school, to college, through the crowded market, or anywhere else you go. As a woman, I also faced these situations personally. I have felt the invasive gaze and the unwanted touch in crowded areas.
When I faced this for the very first time, it was horrific for me. It wasn't just a physical encounter; it was a psychological shock that changed how I viewed the world. From that moment on, I started observing my surroundings with a hyper-vigilance that no child should have to carry. I started asking myself: what kind of society do we live in? We talk about progress, with time, one thing has become clear to me: this world where we are living is not that beautiful as I thought, and not just outside, women are not even safe in their own homes.
The danger is not just in the physical world; we are no longer safe in the virtual world either. On social media, you can easily find evidence of a nasty, verbal mindset. People hide behind screens to show their true colors, leaving comments that are not just insults, but reflections of a deep-seated hatred for women. These comments are directed at women, young girls, and even infants. Whenever I read such comments on a woman’s post, I feel suffocated. I feel a desperate urge to tell all other girls and women: "Please, do not post anything. This society is not ready for us." And I am sure that at that moment, a question arises in every woman's mind: Why is this society so cruel to a progressive woman?
This trauma is not limited to the streets or the internet. In my own family, I have faced and observed this drama closely. I have seen domestic violence and abusive behavior up close—mental abuse, verbal abuse, and physical abuse directed toward wives, sisters, and daughters. I have watched the chilling process of how a woman becomes numb after so much cruelty. Even more disgusting is how society glorifies this numbness. They call such a woman "Sanskari." They say she is cultural and that she is "protecting the respect" of her husband, her father, or her brother. In reality, she is simply a victim of trauma who has been beaten by punches, slaps, and kicks, and broken by the verbal abuse of the men in her life and her in-laws.
Whenever I open a newspaper, the horror is quantified. Two out of four pages are filled with news of rape, violence, and harassment. Recently, I read a report about a hockey coach in Haryana who raped and impregnated a 13-year-old minor. Then, another report surfaced of a 19-year-old girl gang-raped by five men—one of whom was a driver for an emergency police service. A father himself assaulting her own daughter It is a terrifying realization that those who are supposed to be our protectors (Rakshak) have become the predators (Bhakshak) of our lives.
Is it shocking anymore? Perhaps not. We live in a country where some government officials make statements as vile as: "If someone is raping you and you know you cannot be saved, lie down and enjoy it." Our culture of entertainment further glorifies this violence, presenting male toxicity and aggression as "masculinity." Our society has become a joke in the name of culture and religion. When the most common verbal abuses used by men to curse each other are directed at mothers and sisters, it proves that the very foundation of our language is built on disrespecting women.
In these moments of despair, a question arises: Was it always like this? The answer is a resounding no. Bharat is the birthplace of women like Gargi and Maitreyi—great and respected philosophers. It is the land where the concept of Ardhangini (the equal half) was the title for a wife, and Devi Swaroopa (a form of the Goddess) was the title for daughters and sisters. These titles were not just words; they were given by our religion and our deities.
From childhood, we are taught that power, knowledge, and wealth are feminine. The Goddess of power is Durga; the Goddess of knowledge is Saraswati; the Goddess of wealth is Lakshmi. These are the powers that run the whole world. We once had a society where women were respected and loved. Marriage was a loving, respected union—not a transaction. Women had the right to study, the right to marry by choice, and they lived freely with dignity. There was no "purdah" (veiling); widows had the right to remarry and live with respect.
Everything has changed. Now, we live in a society where the majority follows a patriarchal and misogynistic mindset—where killing a daughter or sister in the name of "honor" is accepted, but rapist sons are left unpunished. This decline started with centuries of invasions, which brought a "siege mentality." To "protect" women, society confined them within four walls. What started as protection eventually became a prison where men decide every single life choice for women. This has brought violence, harassment, and restriction into almost every household.
We do read about women earning respect in different fields today—medicine, social service, sports, and the army. But has society truly changed at its core? No. These women do not even make up 25% of our population. While they exist as beacons of hope, their numbers are far too low to claim that the war for equality has been won.
The main concern is this: it took centuries for our society to reach this peak of patriarchy and misogyny. When the very officials meant to lead us view women merely as toys, one must ask: how much more time will it take to treat women as human beings? This is the big question, and as of now, no one has the answer. We are left living in a society that is a horrific place for girls, which will never be lifted by the hands of justice and true culture.