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Silently she suffers, voiceless and unseen

Imprisoned in a home

She bears children, cooks and cleans

Wed at the tender age of seventeen

His object to rape and beat

Her daughter, born in a western land

Dreams of a better life

Struggles to be free

Patriarchal control she cannot escape

Her own brother a spy of her moral and sexual conduct

Betrayed by those who should protect

Defenseless, deprived of love

Paternal murder

Abomination against nature

Repeating learned behaviors

Of what it is to be a man

Forcefully in his own way

No compassion, no humanity

Falls in love and seals her fate

No room for joy, only fear

For her safety and survival

No hope, no cure, no help

No one listens, no one hears

Murder plotted by father, brother, and uncle

Sadistic and unfeeling

Her body dumped in an unmarked grave

No respect, no dignity, no honor

Lawless social custom

Sanctioned by a community

Too often, too many

No justice, only cover-ups

Gendercide

Hatred and violence of the worst kind

Violating and killing that which they fear:

Female power rising to equality

Time to take a stand.

Souls of the victims arise

Balance will be restored