02/06/2026
By Varsha Ramlakhan-
"Last night, I made another post about the man who physically and verbally assaulted me on the night of May 10th, between 10:00 and 10:20 p.m., on Mother's Day weekend. I first spoke about this incident on May 11th, then again about a week later, and now, nearly three weeks after it happened, I felt compelled to speak about it once more.
What has truly amazed me is not the fake profiles that were created to harass me. Sadly, that was expected. What shocked me far more was the number of women in the comment section where some of them are mothers, many with husbands, sons, and daughters of their own who chose to bash me rather than support me.
These women are willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the man who assaulted me, while dismissing the experience of the person who actually lived through it.
What happened that night was terrifying. I was alone. Had that man been carrying a weapon, the outcome could have been much worse. The trauma of being physically confronted, touched inappropriately and not knowing what could happen next is something I would not wish on anyone.
Most people who know me know that I rarely share my personal life on social media. My page is almost entirely about animal welfare, rescue work, advocacy, and helping others. Even when I meet people in person, I do not sit and discuss my private affairs. So for me to come forward publicly, to go to the police, to endure the endless runaround, and to repeatedly speak about this incident should tell you how serious it was.
Yet instead of understanding that, some people chose to attack me.
What is even more concerning is that many of these individuals seem more willing to believe anonymous fake accounts than my verified and public account. They would rather trust strangers hiding behind fake profiles than the person who has openly spoken about what happened.
Some have even tried to suggest there was some kind of relationship between this man and me. Let me be very clear: there was not. If my choices were between dating a frog and dating him, I would choose the frog—and I am terrified of frogs. People even want to see footage of him attacking me as if i would have known he was coming to attack me and to just set my camera and wait for it to be recorded.
Then we ask why gender-based violence remains such a serious issue in Guyana.
When a woman is murdered, social media is flooded with messages about women's rights, empowerment, and standing together. But when a woman speaks up before becoming another statistic, she is mocked, questioned, and blamed. Standing up for myself is a bad thing but been dead had he had a weapon i would have had RIP written all over my facebook wall.
If this had only been about damage to my vehicle, I probably would not have brought it to social media. But this was not just about property damage. This was about being assaulted. This was about my personal safety.
I shared my experience so that other women could be aware and exercise caution. Instead, some people seem more afraid of the woman speaking out than of the man who committed the act.
That mindset is deeply troubling.
And this is precisely why so many victims stay silent. They fear not only the person who harmed them, but also the public judgment that follows. Too often, when women come forward, they are not met with support, understanding, guidance, or compassion. They are met with criticism, ridicule, and blame.
That culture of victim-blaming is one of the reasons many women remain trapped in abusive situations and also are afraid to speak up about men that harm them who they dont even know. They see what happens when others speak up, and they decide it is safer to suffer in silence.
Not all men are abusers, and yes, women can also be perpetrators of abuse. But today, I am speaking about my experience and my reality.
No victim should have to fight for safety and then fight again to be believed."
