Yalda Hakim’s most recent documentary, Our World:Pakistan's Women-Punished For loving on BBC, is about horrific stories of the women who are behind bars because they dared to fall in love or marry a man of their choice. She tells SHAlINI SAKSENA that some of the prisoners have been languishing with no trial for years
What is the reason for this documentaryIJ
The injustice women can face in places like Pakistan is not a new story. However, I do believe that it’s important to continue to report on these issues. As journalists, we can often rush to cover a story or issue when it’s making headlines then move on to the next piece. But at the BBC we work hard to stay with stories not simply report them while they are breaking news. Earlier this year, the story of Farzana Parveen, a 25-year-old pregnant woman who was stoned to death by her family outside a court in lahore shocked the world. The case was covered by every major broadcaster right around the world. The issues that women face in Pakistan came to the forefront of public debate but then it died down again. I feel it’s important to continue to tell these stories, especially as these are often voiceless victims.
What kind of research and time was spent to make this possibleIJ
We can spend many weeks or months working on gathering the case studies. We usually have local producers working on the ground to gather background information on data, pre-interviewing people and working on getting access to things like the women’s prison in Karachi or the shelters.
What is the plight of the women in Pakistani jailsIJ
It’s horrifying to know that women are jailed for months or years, often without trial for simply falling in love. Adultery is illegal in Pakistan, that includes choosing a man to marry against your family’s will. The prisons we visited in Karachi were actually in very good condition and the women had access to a number of different resources in the jail like sewing rooms and a library. But this particular prison has had a lot of money and time put into it by the Government. This is often not the norm and there are many over-crowded and under-resourced jails in Pakistan where women face abuse and violence.
Tell us about the most extraordinary story of a woman you came acrossIJ
I met a woman in the prison in Karachi who had been jailed for 25 years for the murder of her husband. She told me she admitted to killing him but told me she felt she had no choice because of the years of abuse, rape and violence she faced. She told me he hung her by her tongue from the ceiling fan and in order to make money he would prostitute her to the men in the neighbourhood then film her and threaten to put the videos on the Internet. He was an Army General and had a gun. She used his gun to shoot him dead while he slept. The judge who sentenced her was also a woman. She has two small children who are now in an orphanage. It was terribly sad and shocking to listen to her horrific story.
How did you manage to get access to the jail and the womenIJ
This required weeks and weeks of negotiation and we were able to do so with the help of our local producers in Pakistan.
What place do women in Pakistan have in societyIJ
Women in some Pakistan communities continue to face abuse and violence at the hands of their families, especially by male members. While it is particularly common in rural areas where people follow tribal customs, relying on the tribe elders to make decisions on the fate of a woman, this includes the sort of punishment she should face if it is believed she has shamed her family; it also takes places in urban areas. A women is perceived to be the property first of her family, then the property of her husband’s family. If she defies this, the tribal courts can order her to be killed, often stoned to death or lashed. While this is against Pakistani law, tribal traditions are so dominate in some of the regions in Pakistan, that not even the authorities can step in to arrest the men or intervene.
What kind of tales do these women have to tellIJ
I met young women who had fled to a shelter on the outskirts of Karachi. A number of them had left their homes after being accused of adultery and facing brutal violence. The extraordinary thing about the shelter was that despite adultery being against the law, the police were not allowed to enter the shelter nor any family members, without the approval of the women. The young women I met just wanted their basic human rights and freedom to live their lives the way they wanted, free from abuse and control.