KARACHI: The Asifa Bano Story, a documentary shedding light on the heart-wrenching tale of an eight-year-old girl who was brutally abused and murdered in India-held Kashmir in 2018, premiered at an exclusive screening event, organised by Phenomena, at a local hotel here on Friday evening.

The scenes where the child is abducted and held captive while being drugged and abused many times by many people, including teenagers and even police, had to be shot very creatively in black and white shadow-like forms and without being too explicit. Still, the mood in the hall was sombre. Overcome by emotion, some guests could not stop their tears.

The film, which has received 24 international awards, including the Best Social Justice Short Film at the Cannes Film Festival and winning at Rome International Movie Awards, later sparked a serious dialogue on child protection and the need for systemic reforms.

For the film, Mina Jafri Malik, its director known for her commitment to social justice issues, collaborated with DRM Inc and AVA Production, to shed light on the grim realities many children face.

The award-winning documentary about rape and murder of the eight-year-old girl in India-held Kashmir has sparked serious dialogue on child protection

“This story is very close to my heart. It is about little Asifa and all the abused little girls,” she said, adding that she wants to shed light on human rights stories through her films in order to encourage policy-makers and law enforcement agencies to take action and not leave such heinous crimes unpunished.

The film’s assistant director Zainab Malik, who also happens to be the director’s daughter, said that they produced the documentary during the height of Covid-19. “A lot of footage was acquired remotely,” she said about the interviews with lawyers, Asifa’s parents, human rights activists, etc.

Classical dancer Nighat Chaudhry commented on the artistic and abstract way of shooting the film by putting the shadow of a small figure with one pony tail undone in a glass box to show her helplessness in captivity.

Television actress Hajra Yamin said that parents must talk to their children, especially to a child who has survived such a terrible experience. “The abused child feels alienated and remains isolated,” she said, adding that such horrible crimes are not restricted to marginalised communities as it also happens among the affluent.

Author Ayesha Baqir, who has also worked with village women and runs and NGO working for their welfare, also said that child abuse cuts through all classes.

Legal expert Zahra Sehr Vayani said that it is important to highlight such cases because besides raising awareness, it motivates people to demand justice. “If one child gets justice, it paves the way for others,” she said.

Fashion designer and children’s rights advocate Shaiyanne Malik said that there are laws in Pakistan but there is the lack of will to implement them.

Shimaila Matri Dawood, who founded the advocacy group Kasur Hamara Hai and is also involved with Zainab Alert Response and Recovery Act, said that the problem is that there are too many of such cases happening, which has left the people who hear about them with stony hearts.

“But when people saw seven-year-old Zainab Ansari’s picture being flashed on their television screens and in newspapers, they felt anger. Zainab from Kasur was abducted and abused before being murdered. Her sweet innocent face reminded people that this could be their own daughter,” she pointed out. She also said that there was a need to have a government data base for all such cases, “Because right now, you can only get the numbers from NGOs, which are also a lot, but they are only the tip of the iceberg.”

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2024