Today was my first SHE Matters Peace Walk, and I still feel the energy buzzing inside me even hours later. We gathered at Wadia College Chowk early in the morning. At first I stood at the back, trying to blend in, because everything felt so big and loud. There were girls from Classes Seven and Eight holding placards that were almost the size of their bodies. I kept staring at them and thinking how much courage it takes to stand in a crowd and say, “I am here.”
When the Women in Power speakers started talking, something shifted around me. The girls who had been chatting a second ago suddenly lifted their heads and straightened their shoulders. It felt like someone was speaking directly to us, telling us that our voices are not small, that they actually matter. I did not realise how much I needed to hear that too.
During the walk I found myself beside a group of schoolgirls. They were laughing and teasing each other in the beginning, but whenever they read the lines on their posters, their faces changed. One girl kept repeating softly, “I deserve to feel safe.” At first I thought she was practicing, but then I realised she was saying it for herself. Hearing her say it again and again made me feel something heavy and true in my chest. How many girls grow up never saying that sentence even once.
I am only eighteen, but I still feel nervous when I walk home after tuition or when I have to take a late bus. I pretend to be confident, but inside I am always alert. Today felt different. Standing in that crowd, I did not feel alone. I felt like all of us were holding a piece of the same truth. Safety is not something a girl has to fight for on her own. It is something the whole community is supposed to protect.
When I reached the end of the walk, I realised something I did not expect. I came thinking I was just volunteering.
I left feeling like I was claiming my own space in the world. Today, for the first time, I did not just hope for safety.
I demanded it. And I think that is what SHE Matters is teaching all of us.
Prachi, Age 18
SHE Matters – Peace Walk
Leave a Reply