Women and girls in my society are dominated by men in all aspects of life. You can be a woman of any age who is capable of taking care of herself and be providing money for living, you still have to get permission from your father to get out of the house to work and he will tell you to came back at a certain time, and if you don't, you will get punished physically. Or if you are married, you still have to get permission to go to work or to go out with your friends. So basically, men make rules and women and girls follow them.
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We as individuals are oppressed to let go of our spark, our flame, our power, because ‘no man can handle a strong woman who is independent and fearless’. They reduce us to a face and genital organs, being able to conceive - indeed it’s partly true [we do have that ability] and I’m embracing it fully, but today, I know that I’m much more. I’m going to break boundaries and create the extraordinary out of the ordinary because this is who I AM.
Read MoreWhen I was 13, I was coming back from school and a man followed me home for over 15 mins trying to talk to me! Yes, my mom warned me about me these 'bad guys' but still, I was so scared and terrified. As I got home, I locked myself in and tried to calm down. I called my mom and the second she arrived, I saw him running to another girl trying to harass her. Now she had to feel what I felt and go through what I had been going through - what a tragic world we are living in!
Read MoreIn Morocco, sexual harassment is literally everywhere, in streets, in transportation, in schools. Despite having a lot of laws to prevent it. People just don't care, when you ask them why did you sexually harass that person, they just say that girls shouldn't wear revealing and tight clothes, because when she wears them she seeks for attention. This is how they justify their actions.
Read MoreAt 12, my school principal told me that my shorts were a disturbance to my male teachers who were all at least 40 years of age and that I should never wear them again. At 14, a grown man followed me home and tried to push my house door open. That is the true experience of a Moroccan girl yet my stories aren't even as bad as it gets. Must I speak of the girls that were raped and forced to marry their rapists? Must I speak of the girls that were raped, murdered and decapitated? Must I speak of the women who are abused and beaten by their husbands? Must I speak of the women that are raped by their husbands but forced to believe that it is okay just because they are their husbands? Must I speak of the young girls that are forced to marry men 4 times their ages by their parents? Must I speak of the young maids that are regularly beaten by their bosses and forced to give their hard earned money to parents that don't care about them? Must I speak of the young girls that are kidnapped and raped on their way to school?
Read MoreWhat would you like the world to know about YOU? What life experience, challenge or achievement do you want to share? I have been able to get out of the capsule that surrounds every other girl in my country. I was able to open my eyes to how my life is important to be lived just the way I want it. It does not necessarily need a man to fulfill it. I was able to pursue my studies and get a Bachelor’s Degree, and I am willing to get my Master's Degree as well. I could travel alone and experience all the negative feedback about a solo female traveller. I could speak my mind and never worry about my appearance and the criticism I would receive for it.
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Our lives are mainly attached to marriage, carrying children, who ever breaks those laws get called the worst names? Why? I guess the reason is going back to the beliefs of individuals in my society. I wish my country would understand the importance of women and their ability to change the world.
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In general, inequality / harassment / the macho culture are the main problems here, but I'm so proud to see a lot of women who reached great things out of these challenges. I think Morocco's new generation of women are the real representation of 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'.
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Where I live being a woman is typically about being a body, a beautiful one.
Being a woman means you'll never be enough intellectually to equal a man.
Being a woman means that you are not strong enough to stand for yourself.
Being a woman is being a baby machine.
I've got a Masters Degree in International Trade but I'm still applying for a PhD. I started a company of export/import but I'm still trying to make it work. Challenges are faced everywhere whether you’re a man or a woman!
Read MoreIn my country, people think that a woman should be modest and lower her gaze, that she should not talk about sex or female freedom and if she does, she is a whore who is tarnishing the image of our society. Men think that true women are pure and spend their time talking about religion or how much they wanna be submissive to their husbands.
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