September 3, 2002 - Mukhtar Mai - a podcast by Stephen Hammond

Mukhtar Mai uses compensation money after vicious attack to establish schools. On June 22, 2002, a 13-year-old boy named Abdul Shakoor was abducted from his home in Pakistan due to allegations from members of the Mastoi tribe that he had had sex with one of their girls. As punishment, three of the men sodomized Shakoor. When his family came to his rescue, they agreed to settle the matter by having Shakoor marry the girl and by his sister Mukhtar Mai apologizing to the family of the girls. But that night, Abdul Khaliq and three other men raped Shakoor’s sister Mai as a form of justice. A week later, her local Muslim imam, Abdul Razzaq, condemned the rape and urged the family to file charges, which they did on June 30. Not only did her story get headlines in Pakistan, but BBC and Time magazine covered it as well. Pakistan’s chief justice called the rape heinous and in early July, the Pakistan government awarded Mai 500,000 rupees. On September 2, the four rapists and two council members of the tribe were convicted and sentenced to death by an anti-terrorist court. Satisfied with the judgment, on September 3, 2002, Mai decided to use her compensation money to establish schools for girls. In a matter of years, the Mukhtar Mai Women's Welfare Organization has created not only several schools, but also an ambulance service and a women’s aid group. Mai has since spoken throughout the world and published extensively. She has received awards from her own government and from other organizations. In 2005, Glamour magazine named Mai “Woman of the Year.” Although the Pakistan government was initially supportive of Mai’s efforts, it has since harassed her and her family due to discomfort over the international attention. Meanwhile, violence against women and “honour justice” continues in many parts of the country, and the legal appeals of her rapists continue.

---

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Further episodes of Human Rights a Day

Further podcasts by Stephen Hammond

Website of Stephen Hammond