Poem: The hidden agenda

Hiding sorrow

She cried in silence

Her scars too thick to heal

She hid inside her loneliness

There is no one to share her story with

Because the monster she is hiding from is her own husband

Her society is harbouring a string of similar stories

Women all across the world are facing such terrifying ordeals

Face to face with terror, hidden from view

The origin of this hidden agenda is unknown

The manuscript of this crime is horrendous

Gender-based violence is a scourge beyond one woman

Its venom is paralyzing women across the global village

Its sting has left many orphans

Women left their homes ajar

Fleeing has never been an option

But the pain is unbearable

Drugs and alcohol abuse cannot help

What can one woman do?

When all women are terrified

We cannot even begin to see the extent of their trauma

It is totally hidden from our eyes

Yet, it is found almost in every home

This is a call for women and men

To lift the curtain of silence

And confront this monster

Let us all stop gender-based violence

©Kenneth Maswabi