Happy Woman's Day

Happy Woman’s Day to the woman whose partner slashed her face with a knife over a missing fifty euro note, and got off with a suspended sentence.

Happy Woman’s Day to the woman whose partner was incriminated of defiling her daughter, as well as other girls, only for him to be put on with probation.

Happy Woman’s Day to the woman who lives in terror of her husband coming home to demand of her things that she does not dare to deny him.

Happy Woman’s Day to the girl who is currently being sexually abused by her dad, her grandad, her uncle, her brother .. the victim who does not even think of telling anyone about it, because she has been told time and again, and in so many ways that it is her fault, that she has no rights, that she must do as she is told.

Happy Woman’s Day to the woman who is a rape survivor and who has never told anyone. Because the shame and stigma attached to her ordeal are too great. Because sexual crimes are the only ones where, unlike other crimes, the victim is blamed, not the perpetrator. Because no one would ever believe her anyway. Because if she told, people would rip her to shreds; questioning her clothes, the amount she’d had to drink, what she said, what she did. Because even the case made its way to court, chances are he would walk, and be free to come after her again.

Happy Woman’s Day to the woman who deals with snide jokes and sexist comments on a daily basis, who when she complains of harassment, is told she is ‘reading too much into it.’

Happy Woman’s Day to the woman whose bosses impose a female dress code, which goes beyond anything they would expect of a man.

Happy Woman’s Day to women in Saudi Arabia and Iran - both countries where the hijab is obligatory, whether you want to wear it or not.

Happy Woman’s Day to Muslim women in France and Belgium – both countries where the hijab is 

banned, whether you want to wear it or not.

Happy Woman’s Day to the one in every three girls in developing countries who is married before she is eighteen, often to a much older husband.

Happy Woman’s Day to the girl whose family flew her out for a ‘holiday’ which resulted in her being cut (FGM) so that one day, she will be an attractive marriage prospect.

Happy Woman’s Day to the girl who will never get a proper education, who will live her life dependent on the goodwill of a man, first her father, and later her husband, with no rights whatsoever.

Happy Woman’s Day to the sixteen-year-old girl whose “overprotective” father puts up posts on social media saying things like “MY little girl” or “What you do to her, I’ll do to you” in an only semi-jokey ‘warning’ to potential boyfriends

Happy Woman’s Day to the teen girl whose family are organising a purity ball for her, giving her a purity ring, and expect her to remain a virgin till marriage.

Happy Woman’s Day to the woman who has found her reproductive rights curtailed by the various new legislation that has been passed in recent months.

Happy Woman’s Day to lesbian and transgender women.. Kudos to you for being true to yourself, for not giving up in face of injustice, hatred and even cruelty, and for being an example to the rest of us.

Happy Woman’s Day to women everywhere in countries that profess equality but in reality, are still a very long way from proper equality.

Happy Woman’s Day to those women among us who cannot understand that the oppression is anything that curtails our choice, that the freedom to choose is real equality. To those who still think that you must have certain beliefs, make certain choices, smash certain ceilings in order to be free of oppression.

Happy woman’s day to my daughter…may you always have the freedom to make your own choices without any constraints, from anyone or anything.

The freedom to make the choices we want to make is our greatest victory. Let us support and help each other in our quest for fulfilment, regardless of what shape that fulfilment may take. The choices we make should be the ones best suited for us, as individuals. To quote one of my heroes, the late Dr. Maya Angelou we are all phenomenal, phenomenal women.