Bane of Harassment

There are women in our history who’ve fought for their rights and stood up for themselves. But being in a toxic environment dominated by patriarchy they had to give up their endeavors. They are snubbed, bullied, and forced into withdrawal. Liza has been facing such mistreatment by the misogynistic folks for a decade. Her only fault was that she dared to speak up for herself and on behalf of other women who are afraid to fight for themselves. Unlike those women, Liza is a brave woman. She exposed some men who used to harass her at her workplace. However, instead of extending her moral support; she met with severe criticism. Liza was accused of lying and bad-mouthing. She happens to be a strong woman with qualities of head and heart. Unlike the majority of timid females of her peer group, Liza is quite the opposite. She believes in shattering glass ceilings and breaking rotten societal stereotypes. Her friends and family have always advised her to stop showing defiance because of the fear of social stigma. But it was Liza, not some mediocre girl who demonstrates meekness in the face of adversity. Rather, she likes to take things to their logical conclusion. Having faced discriminatory behavior at the hands of her counterparts she decided to call them out once and for all. She is determined and has a firm belief in herself and. In the pursuance of her struggle, she has to go against all odds. It is nonetheless, the truth that circumstances favor those who dare to help themselves. Downfall often succeeds by the grand fortune. Likewise, the highest standing is preceded by adversity.

Liza understood this at the very outset of her prolonged journey. She had realized that she would have to be the voice of the voiceless. She had to set the precedence previously unheard of. She took up the matter of ‘harassment’ to the highest court of law and pursued it till its final verdict. It was the dark phase of her life. It was not only the victim but also the witness who was faced with outright bullying and intimidation but she never gives up. In the premises of the court, they were followed by the harassers. Liza continued confronting resistance launched to silence and subdue her. At times, her own family cornered her due to the relentless opposition originated by their relatives. Despondency causes pessimism. It confuses and makes one lose their confidence in themselves. Fear of bleakness tomorrow brings hopelessness. It generates negative thinking thereby poisoning your whole goddamn existence. Your life seems pointless, and you reach the brink of complete collapse. On the contrary, when you muster your courage up and determine to face unfavorable circumstances your life takes an enthralling turn which amazes you. It has been rightly saying that expect the unexpected and that miracle happens to those who believe. Liza may not have luck always by her side, but she certainly kept attracting lady luck in her favor through and through. It would not be inaccurate to say that she was a miracle in herself. She knows what she wants and willing to do anything to achieve victory. Anyways! Going from pillar to post to seek justice she didn’t have an idea that it could take ages to get herself absolved and get the perpetrator convicted. A life-threatening moment arrived when she unequivocally challenged the deniers of harassment. She attracted mass vilification campaigns against her across social media. She got her character assassinated. And this is what happens in a male-dominated society which doesn’t mean that male dominant society is strong. It just means women are more kind and humble towards mankind. It’s an achievement unto itself to have survived in the men’s world where women have no rights except what men allow her. One needed to be reminding that when you decide to unveil the truth, consequences should not matter at all. Liza could give in to the immense pressure being piled up on her with every passing day but she carried on defying misogyny and hate.

Years passed, she did not relinquish her honest struggle. She had studied the law of the land and constitutional provisions that grant her protection from harassment and any violation from the criminals. She knew that constitution provides guarantees that ensure her safety from predators. Matters were dragged from court to court in a bid to exhaust the victim. But at last, that sought after moment came when she saw her perpetrators getting convicted. It had not ended in mere conviction. It was followed by the strong legislation that led to a historic moment of unprecedented significance. Events come and go but those are remembered the most which sets a lesson for all generations to come. Efforts put in by Liza proved that impossible can be made possible if your intentions are pure and you’re willing to achieve something. Liza may have gotten what she had wanted but that struggle has continued to date. And it should be going on until some real difference has been made. Our society needs to be purged of numerous malaises by everyone’s constant hard work. The female struggle for their rights should not be a lost cause. Society should know that the women who are struggling can be fragile beneath the shield of confidence and strength. As Liza led protection of rights moments and she was rewarded for her endeavors at the end. The bravest thing she did was that she chooses to survive each day. The world let her down but she kept picking herself up every time. This should serve as a motivation to those who want to raise their voices against injustice but are afraid of speaking up on account of mistreatment meted out to them by the ill-informed patriarchal setup.