By Catherine Ulmer
In 2002, Mukhtaran Mai, a rural Pakistani woman from a remote part of the Punjab, was gang-raped by order of her tribal council as punishment for her younger brother's alleged relationship with a woman from another clan. Instead of committing suicide or living in shame, Mukhtaran spoke out, fighting for justice in the Pakistani courts¡ªmaking world headlines. Further defying custom, she started two schools for girls in her village and a crisis center for abused women. Mukhtaran, who had never learned to read but knew the Koran by heart, realized that only a change in mentality could break brutal, archaic traditions and social codes. Her story, included in the bestseller "Half the Sky" by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, and the subject of Mukhtaran's own memoir, "In the Name of Honor", has inspired women across the globe.
Revealing the progress and fruits of Mukhtaran's labor, this powerful documentary tracks the school's profound impact on the girls and families of Meerwala and shows how the crisis center empowers women seeking its help. An important look inside Pakistan, where the impact of Islamic fundamentalism is revealed and how women are fighting its oppressive and violent impact.
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