Women are of the earth, the diamonds in flesh. We hold every good quality -- we’re organic like mother nature, passionate like a burning flame, hard and strong like cold, smooth steel. Diamonds.

We are soft, kind, cunning and sensual. Bits and pieces of our inner beauty peek through features, such as the words we speak, the shape of our mouth, the curve of our waist, even in the soft touch of our hand holding a cheek.

If women are so admirable, sacred, and beautifully made inside and out… why, then, do so many women get hurt? Why do people brutalize women?

Being female is dangerous.

And being female follows me everywhere I go.

It follows women when we’re walking down a street late at night, or in an empty parking garage. We tell ourselves to keep walking with our head held high, alert, like we’re not a target and pray that we don’t intercept a character with bad intentions along our solitary paths. Walk quickly, walk confidently. We make sure we have our car keys and cellphone in hand, always. Pepper spray at the ready.

It follows us at the grocery store, when we feel a man’s intense stare burning holes through our backsides. We feel the need to check in with a look to our companions or a kind stranger a few feet away picking out a fresh batch of avocados. We try for an intimidating stare, shoulders pulled back, eyebrow raised like a threat.

It follows us when we’re out with girlfriends and a group of guys hit on us at a bar. Their conversation is fun and welcomed, mostly, but there are times…that one guy in the group, his look is too hard, too…something. He’s off. It makes us feel uneasy, like vulnerable little lambs. We’re taught to watch our drinks and cover them with our hands, toss them down the girls’ bathroom drain if left unsupervised for even a moment. Better safe than sorry.

The list is endless. It sounds like madness, doesn’t it? Paranoia? Unfortunately, the statistics support the caution. Violence against women around the globe is staggering. And the truly unnerving thought to ponder is that the statistics only reflect incidents that are reported. How many girls simply have no voice? Have so little power in their situation, in the dynamics of their culture and family system, that speaking out isn’t possible?

It’s hard to come up with solutions, nothing new there. From my generation’s perspective, many believe the solutions have all been tried. Yet we know all of the solutions have not been tried because we’ve yet to find the answer. And there is an answer. We young women believe. This young woman believes.

For me, I see the solution as being a continuation of the journey of women toward unity and equality, a journey toward empowering the voices of women. There is strength in equality. For all members of society, men included.

As one raised with a western mindset and ethos, I have benefitted from the efforts of those before me. From Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, to modern heroes like Maya Angelou, Gloria Steinam and Marianne Williamson. Women who have dedicated their energy to strengthening the voice of women and the rights of women. And their efforts continue to bear fruit.

Many women in my generation feel powerful, we embrace our intelligence and look forward to pursuing our goals. And one of our goals needs to be eradicating violence against females.

The changes we make in our immediate world affect the world at large. It’s a ripple effect. It may take time, generations in some cases, but the ripples do flow, and they benefit everyone, men and women. So all of us need to work toward strengthening the voices of women, allowing equality, allowing the diamonds to shine.

Small changes can have dramatic effects. Use your voice to bring about positive change. Use the strength of your keyboard to support equality. Use the power of your voice to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

I wish we lived in a world where women could wear shorts skirts and tight tops without fear of assault. I wish we lived in a world where rape wasn’t a thing, where no young person even understood the concept. I wish we lived in a world where parents didn’t have to worry about their daughters, a world where female genital mutilation didn’t exist, a world where we didn’t have pepper spray in our purses and a License to Carry in the glove box.

Let’s teach the world not to hurt beautiful things. Let’s begin with ourselves. Be kind to yourself. Extend that kindness to those around you. Kindness multiplies. Allow that to happen. Let’s nurture the beautiful things and let them be beautiful, humanity hasn’t begun to see the full beauty of the feminine, we’ve yet to allow it to grow.