Outside the law, when someone successfully asserts a right to lord over you, they in fact decree you a lesser being. Being dehumanised like she was is atrocious. The reaction was swift, emphatic and dramatic. Virtually naked women stormed the streets on Saturday, asserting their “right” to wear what they like. Personal autonomy within the confines of the law underpins the right to human dignity. Should the atrocity go unpunished, her abuse would be societally ratified. Her defenselessness will be reinforced in herself and in her assailants. Her wounds would be hard to heal. All eyes are on the police and the DPP.
Regrettably it is not the first incident of its kind. We have been down this road before. It is true that our present condition is a challenge. The future, all the more. Prosecutions can punish the crime but cannot fix a broken society endemic with violence against women. The problem is more systemic than penal. It requires a systemic solution. I was arguing with friends the other day that the “I wear what I like campaign” is misguided. It is not about the right to wear what one likes. One has a right to be nude and we are in fact nude at least once a day. #
