On our way to my grandparents’ for the weekend, my aunt turned up the radio and to say what was on the news sent chills down my spine is an understatement. Young school girls in Iran were being poisoned. Among all the other inhuman atrocities women are being forced to experience through no fault of their own. How evil does one need to be to wake up one day and decide to rape, beat, poison and kill another human being who wants nothing more than her basic rights. Or better yet, her freedom to live without fear of being treated less than a human being.
This year on international women’s day all I could think of were all the girls and women in the world who are punished everyday for being female and yet they decide to live and fight for their right to a peaceful life. The same life a large part of the world’s population gets to live daily as the norm. A friend of mine was telling me how life can be both fair and unfair at the same time. The only difference between those women and you or me is the country we were born into and live in. How can that be the only thing that decides whether going to school is a suicide mission or another normal day I get to learn and spend time with my friends; married off as a child or get to work in my dream job.
This article is dedicated to all the girls and women in the world who are denied their basic right to live free from violence. Those who are condemned to a life of physical and mental torture because of their gender.
You may not be able to change an entire country but today, treat all those who cross your path with a touch of kindness. A gentle smile, a compliment, anything.
Remember, there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”
