Blog Prompt 1:

When did you first realized there was true injustice in the world? Tell a story that describes either your first encounter with an injustice or a significant one.

At first I couldn’t think of a time where I had witnessed an act of true injustice. I was drawing blanks. I could’ve spoken of the times my mother wouldn’t allow me to play video games growing up. Her reasoning was that it was a “boy’s game” and I had no reason to like them. That part of my life didn’t resonate in me, even though it wasn’t right. Gender shouldn’t dictate what appeals to you.

There was a bigger injustice that consumed my childhood, an event that repetitively felt wrong. I’d like to say my whole life I have lived in an injustice environment. I won’t get justice for the years of sexual abuse I experienced because I choose to keep chaos from erupting within my family. The person who abused me is a family member. Although I spoke up once I felt safe, my parents didn’t take action with authority. Their idea was to disassociate from this person and never let them into our household again. For me, this was good enough. I had a home now, a safe place. Was it right to end it there? For the sake of keeping my family from possibly tearing apart, absolutely. To keep formality and a good reputation so relatives wouldn’t hear of this tragic situation, of course. For my mental health? No. It took a toll on me hugely. Living through that experience was horrible. And the aftermath was just as hard. It wasn’t right at all. It was just easier for my parents if this wasn’t shared with anyone else. Growing up I didn’t see much justice for the sexual abuse. Victims weren’t believed in. There are countries where women are seen as objects for other’s entertainment. It’s frightening when your eyes are opened to the problems of the world. And Sexual abuse is one of them. The singer, Ke$ha, for example; fought hard for her case for years and got denied plenty of times. But through her struggles she found her strength. And her songs empower many today, like myself. I might never get justice for my childhood. But I will heal. I will better myself. 

1) Children are misunderstood and that leads them to become victims.

Other group’s sentence: 2) Traumatic childhood experiences shape individuals perspectives.

3) Its injustice that children’s perspectives are changed due to traumatic experiences from when they were misunderstood.

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