the old year draws to a close. And the hotels, bars and restaurants anticipate
the moolah from ‘packed to the rafters’ New Year’s bashes. And people will party till they stumble home
in a blurry haze of booze and bonhomie. And the girl will be a topic of
conversation, but the party will still go on.
And the roads will be thronged by drunken hooligans while the police
will sarcastically advise that women should stay home or be prepared to be
groped. Keeping the streets free and
safe is not an option. Not on New Year’s
Eve; not on any other night or day.
And,
before too long, the girl will become a memory. Until another girl or woman is
raped. Because life
goes on regardless. Because it is not our mother, sister,
daughter. Because such 'news' begets a transient attention
span. Because one horror replaces another in quick succession. Because
we have abjured our values so that we no longer see the image and likeness of
God in creation.
Because rape is just another silent scream.
