Women are amazing, strong, and smart. They have been through so much to be the women they are today. Life is not easy, but why is being a woman harder? Women have so many obstacles in life that go against them, but naturally they push through it and keep going.

Some women are shown the evil of the world at a young age. This is not okay. The evils are rape, sexual harassment, and molestation. Some girls, boys, women, and men are too scared and embarrassed to talk about it or even get help. They think it is their fault it happened and do not want to get in more trouble so they avoid contacting anyone.

Recently, my cousin, Rubi, was a victim of molestation. She just turned 14-years-old on March 15. She was molested at her job 12 days later. The day it happened was just like any other Saturday. She came to the booth where I work and hugged me while crying. I did not know what was wrong with her, until she said that a guy touched her inappropriately. At first, she was too scared to tell me, but eventually told me everything.

“He was so nice and bought me a lot of things I wanted,” Rubi said. “He lied about his age because he told me he was 16, but in reality, he was 18.” “I thought he was my friend, but it was all a lie.”

He followed her outside when she was alone and forced himself on her. “He grabbed me, started to kiss me, grabbed my chest, and put his hand down my pants.” She said no many times, but he said, “give me a good reason to stop.”

She continued to say no, but he did not stop until one of her friends went outside to see where she went. Her friend, Yatziri, a 12-year-old started recording and pulling Rubi out of his arms. More people came out and recorded also, but the guy ran away to his family’s business and started saying he did not do anything wrong. He said that she came on him, but that is not what you hear in the videos. Rubi was too scared to get the police involved, but her friends and I convinced her.

The police took down the information and looked for the guy. They just asked him questions because there was not enough evidence to prove he did anything wrong and could not arrest him right there and then. Other girls came to see us, and they all told me their stories, more than eight girls had a similar story with different guys. All the girls were between the ages 10-16. This is terrible, how can so many young girls have suffered like this and not told anyone before. They all said they were scared, did not want to make it a problem, felt guilty, and thought it was their fault.

Liz was one of the girls, she said “I am used to it by now.” “I have been sexualized since I was 12 years old and now, I am 16 and nothing has changed because all men are disgusting.”

She said, “they will not change because a lot of men are not raised right so all I can do is defend myself and embrace my beautiful being.”

Yatziri has experienced something like this, but the guy still works there, and she never got justice for what happened. She cried, “I do not want anyone else to suffer the way I did because the emotions you felt that day will never go away.

Rubi is already experiencing trauma because she said the next morning she tried to show, but felt and saw his hands all over her body and felt sick to her stomach.

“All I could think of was, I have to protect her…no matter what happens!”-Yatziri

The case is still open, but why did she not receive justice the day it happened? According to the police, there was enough evidence to make an arrest. It could be that all the witnesses were under 18 and their videos were a bit blurry. This is not the first time the police did not act quickly based on the lack of evidence. It continues to happen every day. Society has to change and raise everyone better or do not have kids if you are not capable of teaching them right. The government must stop giving rapists, pedophiles, and molesters so much leniency with their punishments. They traumatize young boys, girls, women, and men for the rest of their lives. They get a few months or years in jail, get out and do it again. Its an endless broken cycle of torment because they do not want to enforce it more strongly.