The World Is Cruel to Us 💎 yungi [▶]

7

"It's not good for girls to go out at night."

Yuna always remembered her mother's words like she remembered when to shower, have dinner, and apply her nightly skincare routine. So, she never went out at night during holidays.

During the day on her days off, she would be in the midst of the traditional market's hustle and bustle. Her mother had taught her from a young age to buy groceries here rather than at the supermarket. And because the place was crowded, everything would be safe. No one would dare to do anything because if you disturb someone, you risk being fought by everyone present. Yuna might need to be more careful about securing her wallet in her shopping bag.

She was walking, browsing which stall to visit next after just getting carrots and potatoes when a man casually squeezed her breasts. It made her flinch. She saw the man smile lecherously at her before casually strolling away.

Yuna screamed, reporting to anyone there that she had just been harassed by that man. But it was in vain because no one cared.

"Come on, dear, forget about it. You're just adding chaos to this already busy place."

"But the man just—"

"Just accept that something like that is common in a place like this."

Yuna didn't understand. Why should she accept being harassed by a stranger? And why should an act of sexual harassment be considered normal? This was not right. The man was sick. Just like the man who stared at her intensely on the night bus. And the man who said Yuna asked for help after being harassed just added to the chaos, equally sick.

So when she expected the crowd to help the victim against the suspect, she was sorely mistaken.

She cried and ran home.

Her worried mother asked, of course. And got angry after her daughter told her everything.

"If appa were there, I would have punched that scumbag's face until his nose broke and bled. How dare he be disrespectful to my precious daughter." Her father was undoubtedly just as angry. Especially a father is usually very protective of his daughter and will hit anyone who hurts her.

Yuna wore minimal and tight clothes when she came home from school at night and got lewd stares from a man on an empty bus.

Now Yuna wears more modest and covered clothes when going to the busy market during the day.

But why is there still a man who does inappropriate things to her?

She has tried to protect herself, and it's all in vain. So, does she have to tighten her security, or do those scumbag men have to stop harassing women? What should she do now?

"The outside world is indeed not safe. Maybe girls should just stay at home if there's no one to accompany them outside," her mother said.

That night, Yuna called San to tell her everything.

Yuna had just finished applying her night cream to her face when San across the line just finished her breakfast.

"If in the Arab world, let alone as clear as that form of harassment, if a woman feels uncomfortable with the gaze of a strange man, she can report it to the authorities, and the man will be arrested and sentenced under the sexual harassment law."

"So why is it considered normal here? Why didn't anyone at the market care? Why aren't there any officers and laws like in the Arab world? I think all women in the world need it. All these indecent acts must be stopped from the face of the earth. And it must start with rules and laws so that they are afraid of the threat of punishment."

"The governments in each country have different concerns."

Yuna sighed, "True."

"But at least humans are taught etiquette and life norms from an early age. Those lecherous men should apply those lessons at least. If they keep doing disrespectful things, it means...?"

"They're immoral and uncivilized."

"Correct, dear! Uncivilized rattle-brained moronic whoreson. Ew..."

Yuna laughed. Being an American citizen, San added even more vulgar vocabulary.

"In the Arab world, they not only have rules from the law. Women are considered the most precious treasure there. Highly protected, and their honor is highly esteemed. The community even makes its own cultural rules about small things related to all that. Like when a married couple will take a taxi, the man must get in first, and when they get off, the woman must get out first."

"Why does it have to be like that?" Yuna asked.

"They're afraid that if they leave a woman alone in a taxi, the driver will take her away."

"Wow! That's brilliant! Intelligent! Amazing Spiderman 2!"

"Hey! Don't steal my expression, Beyonce!"

Yuna laughed again. "Crazy! For something as small as that?"

"I told you, women are very valuable there. The community will do anything to protect them, even make rules as small as that. Maybe everyone in the world would think it's excessive, but if Arabs ignore those rules, big things could happen."

If only the government of Yuna's country and its people cared that much.