Every day, we hear stories around us—stories that are often hidden—about the safety of girls. One incident made me question whether we have truly made girls’ safety a primary concern in our society.
This incident made me realize that girls are not even safe in their own country. I am writing this article so that people can understand how it would feel if it were their own mother or sister in the place of that girl.
One day, I was returning from the academy with my friend. I do not usually travel alone, but that day I had no choice. We sat in a rickshaw, and before it even started moving, while we were sitting in the back seat, a man came and stood in front of us. He kept staring at us continuously in a very strange and uncomfortable way. It made us feel extremely insecure.
I could not control myself and finally asked him, “Do you need something?” He became a little embarrassed, moved away, and sat in another rickshaw. However, the way he looked at me made me feel as if he might follow me again—or maybe it was just my fear.
After some time, my friend got off, and I had to continue the journey alone. As soon as I moved ahead, another man sat in the front seat of the rickshaw. My mind was still stuck on the first man, and I started thinking that this was the same person, maybe coming back to take revenge. I became extremely scared.
That man looked strange—he kept turning back and repeatedly putting his phone in and out of his pocket—and I felt very uneasy. I even shifted to the opposite side to avoid him. Then, when I looked behind, I saw another man on a bike making gestures toward me. For a moment, I thought he was warning me that the man sitting in front had some kind of weapon and might harm me.
I was completely confused and terrified, but after a while, when I looked again, I realized that he was actually making inappropriate and vulgar gestures at me. At that moment, I felt a level of anger that I cannot even describe. I felt like crying, but I could not do anything. I could not even get off the rickshaw because the man on the bike was still behind me, and the one in the rickshaw was ahead.
I was scared, so I just stayed quiet, sitting there and trying to control my emotions. I stayed as still as possible, hoping nothing would happen. Finally, I reached my destination and got off. As soon as I saw my father, I felt a sense of relief and peace. Just being near him made me feel safer, and for the first time in that moment, I could breathe again.
When I got home, I thought a lot about the incident. I wondered: if it were these men’s sisters in our place, how would they feel?
And then I thought, if I were to give advice to girls everywhere, it would be this: do not be afraid. Do not stay silent—stand up, speak out, and confront such behavior. If you are scared, people like this will only take advantage of your fear and make you feel even more frightened. So be brave.
This is the first time I am writing something like this, and honestly, I do not even know what made me write it all down. All I know is that it stayed on my mind, and I felt like I had to share it with other girls. I want them to know that they should not live in fear. Believe in yourself, stay confident, and never let anyone make you feel small.
And the last thing I want to say to those people is this: please make sure the women and girls around you feel safe. If girls are not safe in their own country, then where can they go? Because of people like this, so many girls face fear and emotional distress in their daily lives. We need to create an environment where girls feel safe enough to go outside, even at night, without fear.
When I was in Saudi Arabia, I saw girls walking alone at night without concern. The reason was simple: they felt safe. We need to create that same kind of environment here—one where girls feel free, respected, and secure.
Girls, never fear. Believe in yourself, and together we can create change.