ISLAMABAD: A private news and entertainment TV channel on Wednesday showed a 40-minute documentary ‘Dekh Magar’, which was followed by a public discussion on “Sexual Harassment and Anti-Sexual Harassment Act 2010”.

The discussion was organised by a German political foundation Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES).

Screening of the documentary is a monthly event featuring a variety of national and international movies and documentaries for an audience made up of students and professionals besides offering and opportunity to discuss diverse issues of everyday life, society and politics.

The film reflected on two different stories of sexual harassment. First documentary showed a character, Shikra, cruising on roads where most schools and colleges for girls were located, and in the second movie men were shown staring and ogling at Zohra, a stewardess at a passenger bus.

In the character of Shikra, with long slick back hair, dark glasses, headphones on, riding a bike decorated with blue neon lights, the documentary showed how desperate and frustrated men scanned women and college girls in this case.

The story of Shikra also reflected on how college girls felt about being harassed.

Things at work are equally uncomfortable for Zohra, who is disgusted by frustrated men, as shown in the film, who keep her waiting so that they can have a good look at her.While the film shows Shikra meeting an end he deserves, getting into an accident while ogling a college girl whereas Zohra imagines torturing a passenger in the bus.

The film also reflected on the historical context of how sexual harassment became a problem back in the early 1970s and how the first case of sexual harassment was filed in 1974.

The documentary also highlighted points of view of victims.

An airhostess who felt helpless at job and all she could do was to ignore men being rude.

In her words, 80 percent of passengers were impolite and stared at airhostesses.

Besides soundtracks such as ‘In aankhon ki masti’, ‘Bachna ae haseenon’, and ‘Sooji ka halwa khao’ being run with regular interval, the short film also contained opinions of writers, TV programme hosts and NGO workers who condemned discrimination, the hostile attitude of the society especially towards women and emphasis on how sexual harassment, especially against women should stop.

In the film, social activist, Fauzia Saeed, was against ‘ignoring’ acts of sexual harassment. She also condemned the common and derogatory terminologies men used when they describe women.

The film ended with the words of writer and TV host Ghazi Salahuddin, “Every woman in Pakistan is harassed.”

Civil society members, academicians and students participated in the discussion.

The screening was conducted in cooperation with DAAD-Germany and Centre of Excellence in Gender Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.

Director Mehergarh, Maliha Hussain, Deputy Director, Lok Virsa, Sajid Munir and Rabia Aslam, researcher from Centre of Excellence in Gender Studies Department, Quaid-i-Azam University, were some of the speakers.

Published in Dawn, September 11th , 2014