This story is fiction, but the feelings, the fear, and the strength behind it are all too real for many women who’ve been in my shoes. My name is Vishaka, and this is my story of standing up when the world tried to silence me.
I never expected college to be anything but an exciting chapter in my life. Like most girls, I had dreams—big ones. I wanted to become a police officer, just like my older sister, Arshi. She was always my hero, the one who made me believe that I could be anything I wanted, no matter what.
But college turned out to be far more complicated than just chasing dreams.
It all started with him. He was the boy everyone wanted—the popular one. Tall, muscular, always with that cocky grin on his face. But for some reason, his attention landed on me, and it wasn’t flattering. It wasn’t the kind of attention I wanted. I didn’t ask for it, didn’t encourage it. But no matter how many times I told him to back off, he kept pushing. His advances weren’t just words. He’d get too close, grab my arm, or whisper things that made my skin crawl. I tried to fight him off, but he was stronger, taller. And every time I pushed him away, he seemed to enjoy it more.
What made it worse was the audience. A group of girls who were jealous that he was after me instead of them—like his attention was some sort of prize—started filming these encounters. Instead of helping, they recorded my struggle, turning my trauma into their entertainment. And then they took it even further, posting the videos on disgusting sites, laughing as my humiliation spread. Every time I walked into college, I knew those videos were out there, and the walls closed in on me a little more.
I tried to stay strong. I told myself to focus on my studies, on my goal of becoming a police officer. But the harassment didn’t stop, and the looks I got from those girls and the whispers I overheard were unbearable.
When I finally gathered the courage to speak up, to go to my uncle—who was part of the college board—I thought he would help. I thought he would protect me. But instead, he blamed me. He pointed the finger at me, as if I had done something wrong, as if I had somehow invited this nightmare into my life. I couldn’t believe it. The boy harassing me wasn’t just some random student; he was my uncle’s wife’s distant nephew, an NRI with connections. That’s why my uncle didn’t want to hear my side. To him, it was easier to protect the boy than to stand up for his own niece.
I was devastated, and for a moment, I felt completely alone. But then, there was Arshi. My sister.
Arshi has never backed down from a fight, especially when it came to justice. She didn’t care about the family ties or the excuses. She only cared that I was being harassed and that someone needed to be held accountable.
The day she arrested him was one of the most satisfying moments of my life. Arshi didn’t hesitate. She put him in handcuffs and made sure he couldn’t come near me again. Not only did she secure a restraining order against him, but she also made sure he was sentenced to home detention. He was suspended from college and wouldn’t be allowed to return until I graduated. He wouldn’t walk those halls, wouldn’t sit in those classrooms, not until I was long gone.
But Arshi wasn’t finished. The girls who filmed me, who turned my pain into their entertainment, were next. Arshi tracked them down, arrested them, and demanded they be held accountable. They were suspended from college, just like the boy. My sister didn’t just fight for me—she fought for my dignity. She made sure those videos were taken down, and she restored the respect I deserved.
Then there was my uncle. Arshi confronted him, too. She told him exactly how he had failed me, how he had chosen family politics over my safety. It wasn’t easy, but she made sure he understood the damage he had caused.
With Arshi by my side, I realized that I wasn’t powerless. I wasn’t just some girl being harassed—I was stronger than that. She helped me find my voice, and I decided that I wasn’t going to be silent anymore. I started speaking out, sharing my story with other women who had been through similar experiences in schools and colleges. I wanted them to know that they’re not alone and that we have the right to feel safe in any space we walk into.
Today, I’m in training to become a police officer, following in Arshi’s footsteps. Every day, I’m reminded of how far I’ve come, of how that nightmare in college turned into the reason I fight for justice now. I’m going to be the kind of officer who stands up for women like me—women who feel like the world is stacked against them, but who have the strength to keep fighting.
My story isn’t just mine. It’s for every girl who’s ever felt unsafe, who’s been blamed for someone else’s actions, who’s been silenced. You deserve to feel safe. You deserve to be heard. And you deserve to know that you’re not alone. If I can stand here today and fight back, so can you.
Picture source: P
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