The Lonely Struggle

                                                                  The Lonely Struggle

In theory it’s quite simple really. When someone harasses you, all you need to do is stand up for yourself. You hear stories of other women in your place, who had the guts to take a stand with umbrellas and books and sometimes bags (If you’ve ever met a lady, you already know how much a handbag weighs and knows just how much of a threat this is). Others take on a simpler approach, screaming, shouting in filth, reminding the perpetrator that they too have mothers and sisters, maybe even daughters, and that they are the problem at the end of the day. And then there are the ones who take pictures and write a whole thing on Facebook, only for others, men and women, to share it till everyone in Colombo knows the tea. 

But it isn’t all that simple, is it? When you’re the one in the seat watching a man watching you while touching himself when all you’re trying to do is get to school, you sometimes freeze and let it happen. You pray, sometimes you cry -begging God to make it stop -make him take a step back, let someone else notice his movements. Sometimes you can do no more than call a friend to try to make that feeling of feeling dirty go away, it rarely works but it helps. Because a majority of the time, what can you do? You convince yourself afterwards that this was the last time, never again will you be silent. But the fact remains that he’s an adult male in his prime, you’re a minor and alone, even if you’re older, you know that if he decides to continue, it can get a lot worse than feeling dirty. So, you let it happen, still praying that someone else notices because then, you’re not alone anymore.