In 2002, an illiterate woman named Mukhtaran Mai was punished for something her brother did. He committed the unforgivable crime of falling in love with a young woman outside his tribe. So, in accordance with tribal tradition, a local council of elders decided that instead of punishing him directly, his sister Mai would be gang raped and paraded across her small village of Meerwala half naked.
Five days after this rape occurred, Mai did the unthinkable: She pressed charges.
So begins a true story of remarkable courage and persistence. After a long, arduous, and very dangerous process, Mai is apparently under renewed pressure from the Pakistani government to drop the charges. Read the full story at the Daily Beast.
A couple of years ago, a very talented young Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker documented the story in his film Shame. Here’s an interview with clips.
And here is the Showtime trailer that summarizes the documentary…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7Uh7a8nt8w]
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