When a friend tells you that one of her friends got acid in her face and that it was her father, the aggressor, the first thing that occurs to you is to ask: Is that true? Yes. It is true. It does not matter if it happens in Afghanistan, in Bulgaria or on the moon. It hurts a lot and how it hurts.
In Argentina they kill a woman every 24 hours or so and most judges do nothing to avoid it. The police have their hands tied by politicians who do not legislate properly and cut their budgets and the ability to react when they have to push the patrols because they break or run out of gasoline. Lives are lost for political corruption in Argentina.
As you will see these days I did not feel like writing on the blog. I write little and nothing lately and I write for you, girls. Yes. It is only for you that I write ... What can we say about it?
Psychologists, sociologists, politicians can look for explanations for the inexplicable. Women continue to be the victims. We do not have to be victims. They force us to be. We are living an awful moment in history. The laws and the current culture are decimating us. What are they waiting for? When will they change? How are they going to take care of their Mothers, Sisters, Wives, Daughters, Nieces? Fellow citizens?
The first thing that both men and women have to do is listen. You see, my Friends in Argentina, I call them Sisters. With my Sisters I learned to share. As a collective I would like you not to be angry when I show you what I consider to be an error on our part. Many get angry.
With my Muslim Sisters I find an oasis of True Love and Struggle. And here I am referring to how they are treated between them. They are affectionate. We too. However, we have to learn to express the affection we carry inside. When they speak to you their heart speaks with them. With you I learned that I do not need a certain color or a handkerchief or a shout to Fight.
Argentine girls have to learn from oriental girls. I know they do not like self-criticism but that's the way it is. Let's learn from our Muslim Sisters to listen and then answer the questions. They are fighting in solitude. Let's not leave them alone. They are other Us.
Lía Olga Herrera Soto