End honor killings

Saba's story in an Oscar-nominated documentary might make some change

Because no-one has the right to do this to any other person, please sign this Avaaz petition and hope it will bring us one step further to a righteous world: 

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/pakistan_end_honor_killing_61/?tLfoEbb

Saba Qaiser survived an attempt on her life by her own father and uncle in a so-called 'honor killing' and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy made a documentary out of her story and thus gained important exposure to the presence of honor killings and its implications in Pakistani and other cultures. The documentary A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness is nominated for an Oscar in the Academy Awards.

Watch the trailer: 

TRAILER - A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness from Sharmeen Obaid Films on Vimeo.

A beautiful interview with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy can be found at deadline.com

More on the story from Avaaz:

"For marrying the man she loved, Saba’s own father shot her in the head, stuffed her in a bag, and dumped her in a river. Then he walked free because of a loophole in Pakistani law that gives men the right to commit so-called "honour killings". But, incredibly, Saba survived and she has created a ray of hope to finally stop these outrages! We have four days to help her.

Saba’s story is now an Oscar-nominated documentary, and it’s all over the news. In response, the Pakistani PM just promised to end these heinous crimes, and asked his daughter Maryam, a rights advocate, to oversee the process of a new law. But activists fear that the bill will only be passed if the Oscar buzz is massive and public pressure is sustained.

Let’s urgently get 1 million of us behind this law before the Oscars on Sunday to ensure Saba’s story has the global spotlight, and then deliver it directly to Maryam to help her push for a strong law. Sign and share with everyone, before we lose this moment:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/pakistan_end_honor_killing_61/?tLfoEbb

Around the world a woman is killed every 90 minutes in an honour crime. Although Pakistan passed a law in 2004 against these murders, 70% of perpetrators in Pakistan walk free because of a “forgiveness” loophole in the law. If a woman is seen to bring “shame” on her family by refusing to enter an arranged marriage, looking too long at a boy, or even being raped,a man is free to kill her as long as surviving members of her family forgive him! There is a nobility in communities that value and protect their honour. But these killings are not about honour, they are about seeing women as property. And the forgiveness loophole protects that right to own and kill women and girls. 

A bill was tabled to eliminate this "forgiveness" clause, but it died without a powerful member of the ruling party to champion it. The Pakistani Prime Minister’s daughter is considered the heir to her father’s political party. Maryam Sharif’s strong support now could ensure a bill passes that finally removes protection for honour killings from Pakistan’s law. But there will be push-back and experts say only global attention can give Saba, Maryam, and women’s rights activists across Pakistan the backing they need to change the law.

We have five days to make sure the Pakistan Parliament feels the world is watching and we won’t go away until an ambitious law passes. Let's make sure attention to Saba’s story at the Oscars is massive, and then take our call to Pakistan with a delegation of influential leaders the PM's daughter respects. Sign and share now to get the word out everywhere:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/pakistan_end_honor_killing_61/?tLfoEbb

Wednesday 24 February 2016 - 10:39 am | | All, Development Aid