They ordered me to grow a spine, move on and behave as if all is fine,
They worry about my marriage and not my scarred mind!
They worry about my hymen and not my prolonged silence.
They worry about their reputation and not my actual mental condition!
They want me to forget that it ever happened,
They want me to hide my face and accept that it will all be but forgotten!
They blame me that it was my clothing,
They say that it was my wrong doing!
Some say that I deserved it, others say; I should have preserved it!
Some say I shouldn’t have resisted, others say; I should have persisted, fought harder!
Some say I should have died, others say indeed all the fault was mine!
And then,
Some of them ordered me to forget the crime and move on as if all is fine;
As if nothing ever happened!
© By Aishwarya
Why is it that when a heinous crime like rape, molestation or abuse of any kind is committed, there is no one to look after the mental health of the victim. Why is it that in most cases the primary concern of parents or relatives is “who will marry my daughter now?” or “her entire life has been spoilt, who will look after her?” or “Ab log kya kahenge?” (“what will people say now?”)
Why don’t people first and foremost take care of the victims mental and emotional wellbeing? Why do they almost always forget that “they” are humans first, that this trauma would have scarred them to an unimaginable extent. They need only to be looked after first, with care, love and all the support.
During such situations, we should help the victims heal and try rebuilding their self-confidence. Whatever happened was wrong and the pain; unimaginable, but helping them “live” their life normally/happily is any day more important than “ab isse shaadi kon karega?” or “log kya kahenge?”
#mentalhealthawarenessmonth #poetry #emotionalwellbeing #poetsofindia
A Sunflower's Reverie🌻 