There are some topics which are so important to our society that we should never stop discussing them. The rising number of crimes against women is one such issue. It seems that the one phrase that often crops up during any such incident is ‘the woman was asking for it’. It seems that despite being in the 21st century, some elements of our society still can’t grasp that women are equal beings.
Here are a few things society needs to take note of before blindly blaming a girl for any crime against her.
1. When a woman is enjoying her drinks and is high on happiness, she is merely unwinding, she isn’t asking for it.
2. If you hear a woman curse or abuse, don’t make it your birth right to judge her. No, she doesn’t fall outside the category of a ‘proper woman’ and no! she’s not asking for it.
3. If you see a woman wearing a short skirt, that’s totally her choice. She has the freedom to wear whatever she wants. She is not asking for it.
4. When a girl goes out with four or five of her male friends, that only means she’s a friend hanging out with her other friends. She has the right to hang out with whichever gender she wishes to. She is not asking for it by doing so.
5. If a girl according to you is ‘too loud’ while talking and she seems ‘oversmart’ to you, that doesn’t make her any less of a woman. That’s her being who she is & expressing herself. She is not asking for it.
6. When a girl wishes to stay out late with her friends beyond your ‘acceptable time’, she’s not answerable to anyone. She’s an adult and she has the right to stay out without getting her safety encroached. She’s not asking for it.
7. If a girl has dated even 10 men in her life, that’s her individual choice. Just because she doesn’t obey the norms made by a section of your society, doesn’t mean she’s asking for it. She has the right to be with whoever she wants to be with.
8. If a girl hugs a guy out of friendship or pecks him on the cheek, that’s her way of showing affection. That doesn’t mean she is asking for it.
9. If a girl dances uninhibitedly in a club, that’s her having a good time and enjoying the act of dancing. That, in no way means she is ‘asking for it’.
10. If a girl uploads photos of her partying on her Facebook or Instagram, that’s her enjoying her life and sharing it with her friends. She’s definitely not asking for it!