Why are some men trying to shut women up from talking about issues affecting women and young girls?
When we talk about domestic violence against women, they remind us to stop making noise because men get abused too.
When we talk about little girls being sexually molested, they tell us to stop making excuses for them because some of these girls seduce their abusers.
When we talk about men writing a will and securing the financial future of their wives and children, they tell us to stop planning to kill our husbands so that we can spend their money with our new lovers.
When we talk about financially empowering women so that they won’t be dependent on any man, they tell us to stop teaching young ladies to be unsubmissive to their husbands.
When we talk about rape, they wave it aside claiming that if women don’t want to be raped, they should dress more decently.
When we talk about why women should have equal opportunities like their male counterparts, they tell us that women were created to be behind the man and not lead him.
When we talk about inhumane widowhood practices and why they should be stopped, they tell us that it is our culture and if those women don’t have anything to hide, they won’t be afraid.
When we talk about female genital mutilation, they tell us that women deserve to be cut so that they won’t be promiscous later in life. They insist that a woman must be morally uptight.
When we talk about women’s reproductive health and why woman should space her children and care for her body, they remind us that a woman belongs to a man and should always do his bidding.
You people should leave us alone to talk about the many issues plaguing women and girls in this part of the world. You are not a woman, you will never know what it means to be one.
So, shut up!
