First published on Medium: 22nd March 2025
Watching Adolescence left me with a deep sense of outrage and grief. A 13-year-old boy stabs a girl who rejected him, and the tragedy unravels like a grim reflection of our reality. The police are unequipped to understand how young people communicate, the classrooms are overcrowded and underfunded, and parents are absent, consumed by the struggle to make ends meet. Meanwhile, these boys — lost, angry, and drowning in low self-worth — become easy prey for misogynists. And yet, it is girls who pay the ultimate price, their safety stolen simply because they dared to say no.
We are living in a world that is increasingly unsafe for women and girls. Every time we leave our homes, every time we surf the internet, every time we participate in social discourse, we take a risk. The reality is terrifying — young boys, fueled by entitlement and desperation, are turning to violence when faced with rejection. The message is clear: women’s autonomy, their right to exist freely, is under constant threat.
It’s easy to blame figures like Andrew Tate for radicalizing young boys into believing that women owe them attention, sex, and submission. But placing the blame solely on him (or others like him) is a lazy way to avoid dealing with the real, systemic issues at play. These boys aren’t born violent misogynists. They are shaped by a world that fails them at every turn. They grow up in environments that do not nurture emotional intelligence, that do not validate their worth outside of dominance and control. They are raised in systems that normalize male aggression and reinforce the idea that rejection is an insult rather than a normal part of life.
The solution isn’t just banning toxic influencers; it’s tackling the root causes that allow their rhetoric to take hold. We need:
- Better education that teaches emotional intelligence, consent, and healthy relationships.
- Stronger community support for parents who are struggling to raise emotionally healthy children.
- Resources for young boys to build self-worth in ways that don’t rely on power over others.
- Police and schools trained to recognize and address misogynistic violence before it escalates.
- A commitment to women’s rights — our right to bodily autonomy, to reject unwanted attention, to live without fear of violence, online or offline.
Misogyny is not just a ‘bad ideology’ — it’s a public safety crisis. And while we hold influencers accountable for their role in fueling violence, we must also demand more from our institutions, our schools, our communities. Because until we address the deeper issues, girls and women will continue to be at risk simply for existing. And that is unacceptable.
Call to Action: Speak Up, Take Action
We all have a role to play in changing this reality. Call out misogyny when you see it — whether it’s in casual conversations, social media, workplaces, or schools. Challenge harmful narratives that dehumanize women and girls. Support organizations working to protect women’s rights and invest in the education and well-being of young boys. Silence and inaction only allow these toxic beliefs to thrive. Change starts with all of us, and it starts now.