I am a nineteen-year-old student attending the final year of an art high school. On September 18th, around 6:00 pm, I left the library where I had spent the afternoon with my school friends doing research. I live about ten minutes from the library; I have to cross a park, walk a block, and then I’m home.
It was a beautiful day, I remember it was still warm. I was lost in my thoughts, happy with the work we had done. At one point, I see a group of three guys near me, a few years older than me, but I don’t pay much attention. They were laughing among themselves, one was smoking, and the other two were drinking something.
The three of them approach me and look at me. I feel uncomfortable, I feel their eyes on me, but I pretend not to notice, even though my heart is pounding. One of them says, “Look at this whore with the skirt,” instinctively, I don’t even know why, I reply, “Excuse me?” A guy approaches me, spits in my face, and says, “Shut up, you’re not supposed to talk, lower your eyes, slut!”
Two of them grab me by each arm and punch me in the face, then they throw me to the ground, kick me, and run away.
I stay on the ground for a while, I think. Everything happened so quickly that I didn’t even have time to understand what and how it happened. I feel dizzy, my face hurts, I touch it, I bleed a little.
About fifteen people witnessed the scene, but no one reacted, neither during, nor after, nor now. There was indifference around me, no one asked me how I was, no one thought to call for help. It seemed like no one had seen anything and nothing had happened, and that hurt me even more.
I felt hurt, humiliated, and then angry. I got up with some difficulty and went home. I was very shaken for a couple of days, fortunately I didn’t break anything, I think that, in the absurdity of this situation, it could have been worse for me.
After going to the hospital and talking to a psychologist, I decided to report what happened to me. My story must be told, everyone must remember that a girl today cannot be beaten and insulted because of what she wears.
So I also decided to make a video against my attackers in the hope that someone sees me, remembers, and has the courage to testify, even anonymously.
It’s terrible to think that what happened remains unpunished. What happened to me could happen to other girls too.
I wonder how these young people can go home and look at themselves in the mirror, insult a girl, look at her in a perverse way, and be proud of it. Giving a black eye to a woman is not being a man!