Today I got to finally watch Saving Face at
the Ritzy Picturehouse in Brixton. The documentary and the Q&A session were
part of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival.
There was a very moving introduction by Katie Piper, a
model who was raped and suffered from a severe acid attack in 2008. Her doctor,
Dr Mohammad Jawad helped support her emotionally and conducted the necessary
operations to help her overcame the brutal scaring.
The documentary itself follows Dr Jawad’s efforts to
help acid attacks victims in Pakistan. He is supported by Islamic Help, Acid
Survivors Foundation Pakistan, Acid Survivors Trust International, medical
staff in Pakistan and others.
Victims of acid attacks share their experiences; how they
were attacked, how they were treated subsequently, how they have supported each
other and how they have campaigned for changing the law as they hope to seek
justice.
What was very heart-warming was Dr Jawad’s interaction
with the victims and the rapport that develops between him and his patients. Its quite obvious that he helps to support them emotionally and helps develop a comfort zone within which they build the foundations to reclaim their lives.
I found some parts quite disturbing. The profile of one
particular acid attack victim (Rukhsana) who had acid thrown on her by her husband, then
doused in oil by her sister in law and then her mother in law lit a match a
threw it on her, was extremely uncomfortable to listen to. Especially, since she describes
the attack standing in the very room attack took place in! She was forced to
return to her husband’s home after the attack as she had nowhere to go and no
way to support her children.
The perpetrators, the husbands who are accused of
throwing acid on their wives are interviewed as
they are incarcerated during their trials. The smug, confident smirk on their faces is
unbearable as they confidently deny having any hand in the attacks, claiming
that someone else committed it, while they were there. How 99% of acid attacks
are inflicted by the women on themselves. Even so, that does not stop them from continuing to threaten their wives and her family, while denying they have committed any crime to begin with. They truly believe they have done nothing
wrong.
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Uncomfortable because I feel guilty for being part of the
wave of triumph that swept the country, after Saving Face
won an Oscar. It was a celebration, an achievement to be proud of.
Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy was rightly congratulated and celebrated. We celebrated film making, but overlooked the content of the film. Sure, the documentary has not been released in Pakistan, yet I am surprised that the local media has not covered or profiled any of the victims and organizations that the documentary highlights.
Yes, Saving Face has helped to bring acid attacks and violence against
women’s front and centre in the national discourse. At the same time, I am also
quite surprised, that no effort has been made (maybe I missed it?) by the press
and the media at large to profile Dr Jawad, the organizations supporting acid
attack victims and most importantly the victims themselves. They have been
largely ignored as we have shared, RT’d and celebrated an award for film making.
Perhaps I am being undeservedly harsh in the moment, but I do feel
disappointed and angry, that a lot of the people profiled in the documentary that
are facing innumerable odds and struggle to support themselves, their families
and each other have been ignored.
If an Oscar winning documentary, chronicling their struggles is not going to help divert some attention to their plight, then what will?
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All those people who were concerned that this documentary
will portray Pakistan negatively before an international audience
should not be worried.
Instead, the documentary and many of the people in it celebrate
the best of Pakistan and their humanity that at times seems quite scarce.
The acid attack victims who despite threats and meagre
resources refuse to back down and demand justice.... The lawyer who works pro-bono
on women’s rights issues.... The free government acid attack clinic.... The many
organizations that support acid attack victims.... The counsellors who work to
provide a safe environment to help victims recuperate.... The doctors that offer their
time and expertise... The Parliament that unanimously changed the law to help
punish perpetrators of such crimes….all these people celebrate a lot the good
that Pakistanis offer each other on a day to day basis.
Far from “defaming” Pakistan, it is a celebration of the
triumph of humanity even in the worst of circumstances.
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During the Q&A session following the documentary, a
representative from the ASTI gave the example of Bangladesh where intense
lobbying of the government for changes in the law, restrictions on the sale of
acid and involving men in demonstrating against acid attacks had helped to
reduce annual attacks from 500 to just under 100 a year. Obviously, examples exist of successful campaigns to reduce such crimes.
Sharmeen mentioned that the film is being dubbed into
many South Asia languages so that they can be shared and viewed by a wider
audience, though I don’t recall whether she shared a date on when it will be aired in Pakistan.
The moderator from HRW and the representative from ASTI
thanked the filmmakers for helping to bring acid attacks to a global audience.
Something that they have been trying to do for a long time. Perhaps, this will
help to build a long term legacy of the film beyond an Oscar, as acid attacks
are a global problem. Just a week or so ago, a women with her young child was
attacked using acid in Manchester.
More info:
So to highlight some of the great stuff that some of the
people and organizations that are featured in the documentary, see:
ASTI – Acid Survivors Trust International - http://www.acidviolence.org/
ASF – Acid Survivors Foundation Pakistan - http://acidsurvivorspakistan.org/photo-gallery
I was actually pleasantly surprised by the work they were doing, the value they give to providing emotional support to victims and offering protection. I had (wrongly) assumed that the stigma of being an acid attack victim would naturally lead to exclusion and detachment from wider society. At least the ASF offers a community, a safe area where victims support each other and receive support. The counsellors and workers there are probably the unsung heroes of this film.
Dr Mohammad Jawad - http://www.mohammadjawad.com/
Islamic Help - http://www.islamichelp.org.uk/smilesbetter
If you haven’t seen the film yet, perhaps reading the Viewers Guide beforehand would be helpful - http://www.savingfacefilm.com/savingface_viewersguide.pdf
Saving Face, The Campaign- http://savingfacefilm.com/the-campaign/mission/
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