The Radical Mantate

Shoes! I love shoes! Not just because they make a girl look great but because shoes have a way of defining the type of person she is and can be. For a moment, picture a girl in high platform heels. They spell confidence in self, authority and command over her personality, choices and character. High heeled shoes are not for everyone except those girls who want to try out the extreme; to defy the odds. They are meant for the sassy ones who don’t mind being laughed at when they trip simply because they have made the personal choice to look great in the “hard to walk in” type of shoe. Now look beyond the simple purpose high heeled shoes serve into the principles and values governing the lives of young people today. We live in a technological era where morals seem too high for young people to walk on. They prefer the shortcuts, the simpler, fast routes to fun and pay no care to the implications that that particular shoe(fun) can have on their overall identity and the perceptio...

It is ridiculously appalling how some self-righteous, egocentric rapist could defensively claim that women broadcast invites to be raped by the way they dress. Not only is this a pathetic excuse by a desperate rapist groping at dry twigs but a reflection of how low society can stoop because even in an ankle-long skirt, women still get raped! Like in the case of any other being, male or female, the choice of dressing is entirely hinged on an individual’s perception of comfort and how the next person then chooses to manipulate this fact cannot at any point in life be excused as a justifiable reason for rape, or any form of gender based violence. Condoning this popularly encountered claim is society sanctioning the rape and abuse of any woman or girl who is rendered indecently dressed by some psychopathic males seeking to feed their hideously immoral sexual appetites. Rape is a violation of an individual’s dignity, pride and privacy. It is nothing less than the inhuman treatment...

*Should sanitary pads be freely distributed in school?* All the time I observe debates around this question I get frustrated. It doesn't make sense to me for policy makers to argue over whether to invest in the vital development of the girl child or not. I mean, the question should never have been whether to make sanitary pads free or not, it should have been *How best can the little resources present in the nation be utilised with respect to the needs of the girl child* There wouldn't be a scuffle over the need for accessibility if policy makers recognised and respected access to sanitary wear as a rightful obligation government has to fulfil to every one of its female children. Unless the truth that I have a right to safe and hygienic sanitary pads is recognised, then I remain disrespected and discriminated by a government and society that expects me to contribute to its gross development. How do I confidently pursue my studies, my daily roles when I have no access to co...