The plight of women

Rape - Arguably the most reprehensible of crimes. Rampant and seemingly unstoppable, this crime of violent hatred leaves it's vile stain each passing day. Rape.co.za is an astounding site, full of some truly horrifying figures. I quote:

It is estimated that a woman born in South Africa has a greater chance of being raped than learning how to read.

 I have been reading up on the subject lately and would like to offer the resulting poetry, posted first on my twitter account as #micropoetry, as the beginnings of my wish to see an end to this plague.

One way journey

From the state of her hair

Via inter-

coarse abrasions

To the state of her mind

Recklessly defiled

---

She flees

Chased by trauma

Chaste by the river

No more

---

Absorbing tears

My chest

My arms

Her sobbing

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So many women have been touched by the brutality of such an attack. Many remain silent - perhaps fearful of the consequences. We need to push for greater support systems, increased efforts to protect our women and a system whereby these crimes can be reported and resolved, providing much needed closure for an abused soul. What can we do?