Who exactly is protecting our girls? In societal fervour to protect their virginity, honour, morality - who exactly is actually protecting the girls themselves?

Because it seems like 'protecting' girls means shaming them about their bodies. It is letting them shoulder the blame for sexual assault so that they may better learn how their bodies compel men to sin. It is making them believe their bodies are dirty, or sexual, or peverse. It means stifling them in ways that boys would never be stifled in the name of their protection.

And, 'protection' expands to marrying prepubescent girls to guard them from sins of lust, & mutilating their genitalia to guard them from the sin of female sexual pleasure.

It puzzles me why it puzzles society so on how to protect our girls (and boys alike).

By all means, tell them to close their bedroom doors - for they have every right to privacy. Tell them their bodies are valuable - for no one has the right to touch them in a way that makes them uncomfortable. Tell them their bodies must be cherished - for they are glorious God-given instruments; (& derive pleasures from their bodies for that is God-given as well).

Teach them to respect ALL bodies - for no one has the right to inflict physical or mental harm on anyone else. (And incidentally, respecting ALL bodies is a lesson in celebrating diversity, & understanding that ALL bodies are good.)

And because society will invariably favour the male child, teach girls especially, that their bodies are more than ornamental, more than commodities, more than merely reproductive, or for the pleasure of men. Their bodies belong to them alone. Period. But also show girls they are more than their bodies. They are strong, valuable, worthy, and worthwhile.

And because they will inevitably find themselves standing alone, arms akimbo, facing down a mob of politicians, enforcers of patriarchy, defenders of religion, all hell bent on controlling her body - teach our girls to be FEARLESS.

An-Nyssa Art by Yante Ismail