Is safety a privilege or a right?

Something women must earn?

We are told: stay indoors.

Dress well. Be careful.

Yet danger surrounds us like a shield.

If staying indoors keeps us safe, why are homes not always safe?

If dressing well protects us, why are fully covered women still harmed?

Hmm. The illusion of safety.

It is always: what was she wearing.

Never: why he believed he had the right.

Never: why his violence is excused.

It is always a woman’s fault when it’s wrong.

Just like a mother told:

If the child is good, they took after the father.

But if the child is bad, they took after the mother.

The irony of how the blame always finds its way back to her.

You know, the saddest part

is the normalization of danger

when they “joke” about our bodies.

It’s not a joke.

It’s entitlement.

And if the One who created me

regards my body as His temple,

I know for a fact:

my body isn’t yours to claim.

They say it’s just a joke,

or that she doesn’t know how to take it.

But I know too well:

these are warning signs

of the great danger ahead.

The scary part?

It’s so common, it’s almost brushed off.

The idea that a man has rights over my body

Even strangers feel bold enough to speak, to act.

So, when do I feel safe?

When has my existence become a man’s permission?

Fear isn’t something we just experience.

Fear is a companion.

Quiet, calculated, exhausting.

You see victims quiet and assume they’re okay.

But speaking feels dangerous

because those with power cover up their crimes,

threatening the rest if we speak.

Silence becomes survival.

Anger mixes with helplessness

when she wants to be mad,

but there is nothing she can do.

Powerlessness is the theme

especially when the system doesn’t protect victims.

And now, everyone wants to be the good guy suddenly, 

when attention shines.

A recent horror, denormalized in Ozoro, Delta,

called “Rape Day,”

shocked everyone.

A culture that excuses violence when it’s convenient.

The fact that something like this can even be suggested,

and defended,

shows a breakdown of humanity.

And then they tell her:

walk with pride, carry yourself with dignity.

But after stripping her of all these,

after stripping her of her clothes

How do you think she will carry herself again?

Why is existence as a woman

something that requires defense?

To any woman out there

who has been down,

felt pain and rage:

Remember.

You are a woman.

Strong. Brave.

You did not let the man

ruin how you walk, how you talk, or what you do.

You are a warrior.

You deserve the best

the world has to offer.