What If It Were You?

A child bride paralysed by fear, a man trapped in a life of slavery, a couple imprisoned for simply loving one another, a woman who refuses to bow to social pressure. For many, such nightmares are unimaginable: however, across the world, these struggles are all too real. These evocative and thought-provoking poems draw back the curtain on the men, women and children who suffer in silence, giving a voice to those whose rights, freedom and wellbeing are so often compromised. The hard-hitting realism of Arif-Fear's poetry uncovers the reality of child marriage, modern slavery, female genital mutilation and many other forms of abuse, and presents such issues in a way which is direct and uncompromising. The subject matter ranges from women struggling to break free from restrictive socio-cultural norms, to communities in conflict and under repressive rule. Social cohesion and justice are often compromised in the name of religion, culture or for financial and/or political reasons. Arif-Fear uses her wealth of experience campaigning for human rights and a more just society to express these global injustices through poetry based upon real people and real issues.