I Was Molested at 17: Mary Kom Pens an Open Letter to Her Sons

Mary Kom talks to her sons about molestation and sexual crimes. Here are the biggest takeaways from her open letter.

For women, sexual violence is an everyday reality. Whether in the streets or within the ‘safety’ of homes, women are never completely safe — an unnerving truth boxer Mary Kom touches upon in her open letter to her sons.

Even a woman as physically strong and skilled as Mary Kom, is not immune to molestation and sexual crimes. She concedes that she can probably “beat her molester to pulp,” but asks why it should even come to that.

In the open letter published by Hindustan Times, the celebrated medallist tells her sons how she was molested and how she encountered twice the amount of discrimination as a woman and as a Manipuri.

Mary Kom starts an important conversation with her sons — of teaching them to value consent, to respect women and their rights and most importantly, that rape has nothing to do with sex and everything to do with power politics.

Here are some of the biggest takeaways from her open letter:

Source: Hindustan Times