The Ones Who Can't Even Scream: Who Will Speak For Them?

We raise our voice when a girl is raped. We protest, we post stories, we demand justice. And we should. Because she has a voice, even if society tries to silence her, she can still say "he did this to me."

But what about those who don't have a voice at all?

What about the stray dog in your street who is chased and mounted by 5-6 male dogs at once? She screams, she tries to run, she bleeds, but no one calls it rape. We call it "nature." She gets pregnant. Gives birth under a car, in the rain. 7 puppies. 5 die. After 4 months, she is pregnant again. And again. And again. Till her body gives up.

What about the cow tied in a dairy? She is artificially made pregnant again and again. Her calf is taken away on day one so we can take her milk. She cries for 2-3 days straight. We have all heard that cry. Then when her body can't produce milk anymore, she is loaded in a truck. We know where she goes. No one files an FIR for her.

We teach our girls about consent. "No means no." But have we ever thought about consent for animals? A female animal cannot say no. She cannot say yes. She cannot say "I am tired, my body hurts, I don't want to be pregnant again."

Her pregnancy is not a choice. It is forced by us - either by our negligence or by our greed.

1. The Stray Dogs

A female stray dog can give birth twice a year. In a lifetime, one female and her babies can produce thousands of puppies. 80% of them die on roads, from infection, or starvation. Their suffering is not natural. It is because we, as humans, did not sterilize them. We let them breed on streets and then we complain that there are too many dogs and beat them. The real cruelty is letting them get pregnant again and again without any care.

Solution is not hate. Solution is sterilization. One small surgery and vaccination can save her from 10 painful pregnancies.

2. The Cows and Buffaloes

We worship the cow as mother, but we treat her like a machine. To get milk continuously, she has to be pregnant continuously. In many places, injections are used, artificial insemination is done year after year. She is not asked if her body can take it. When she is old, she is abandoned. The mother who gave us milk dies eating plastic on the roadside.

Is this not exploitation of her reproductive system? Just because she cannot file a complaint?

3. The Goats, Cats and Other Domestic Animals

Every day we see cases where stray animals are sexually abused by humans. Because they can't speak, no case is registered. The law exists, but no one knows about it. In India, sex with an animal is a crime under IPC Section 377 and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. But how many of us even report it?

We think animals don't feel trauma. They do. A dog who has been abused hides, shakes, stops eating, and flinches when a human touches her. Just like a human survivor.

So what can we do?

If we can be the voice for women who are silenced, we can also be the voice for animals who were never given a voice at all.

• - Sterilize, don't just feed :- If you feed strays, take one step more. Contact your local municipality or an NGO for their ABC (Animal Birth Control) program. One sterilization = hundreds of suffering lives saved.
• - Report cruelty:- If you see someone hurting or sexually abusing an animal, record it and report to your local animal welfare officer, PFA, or call 112. Don't ignore saying "it's just an animal."
• - Adopt, don't force-breed:- Stop supporting breeders who make female dogs pregnant in every heat cycle till they die. Adopt a desi puppy from the street. He will love you more.
• - For cows: Support gaushalas that actually take care of cows even when they don't give milk. Don't buy milk from places where cows are kept in terrible conditions. If you can, reduce your consumption.

We are humans because we have humanity. Humanity is not just for humans.

A girl who is raped can at least shout "help me." The dog on the street, the cow tied in a shed - they just look at us with helpless eyes. Their eyes are saying the same thing a girl would say: "Please help me."

Will you be the one to listen?