TORONTO, 11. Sept.: Quiet and unsmiling behind a pink headscarf (hovedtørklæde) and a brown wool shawl (sjal), Pakistani seamstress (syerske) Mukhtaran Mai is an unlikely icon for womens rights.
But Mai is a gang-rape victim who broke with tradition to tell the world her story and insist that Pakistan prosecute the men from her village who raped her as punishment for a crime they said her brother committed.
Her tale has become a gripping, but still-unpolished documentary that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this week, explaining how Mai spoke out about the rape, rather than taking the traditional route of committing suicide to save her familys honor.
– My strength came from God, she said at the festival, speaking on a glitzy hotel patio amid the buzz of rival interviews and the clink of water glasses.
Mai admitted that her own life had changed since the rape, just as donations from her supporters and cash and reparations from Pakistan have transformed her Punjabi village into one that now boasts a paved road, electricity, two schools and a crisis center for women.
– Before, I did not even know what was around the corner from my house, and now I am here. I am dealing with bigger issues. The entire world is supporting me, she said.
Her film, “Shame”, is basically a compilation of interviews and TV footage, explaining what happened to Mai, the initial passive response from her father and her brother, and then the arrest of the suspects, their conviction for rape, and their release on appeal.
Kilde: The Push Journal
