The story of Mukthar Mai

Esta é a história de uma mulher de coragem, uma mulher exemplo.

Mukthar Mai is a woman from the southern Punjab region of Pakistan. She symbolizes the fate of the many Pakistani women who are raped, burned or murdered over matters of "honour". Thanks to exceptional courage and determination, Mai has transformed herself from an illiterate outcast into an international personality.

Mai’s fight

Mukthar Mai is trying to change the way women are treated in Pakistan. Her fight began in 2002, when she was gang raped on the orders of village tribal council elders. The rape was meant to restore her family’s honour after her younger brother had been accused of seeing a girl from a rival tribe.

In a country where Human Rights Watch says the vast majority of rapes and other violent crimes against women go unpunished, Mai broke the silence. She not only pressed charges, she fought her case all the way to the nation’s highest court. In a case that sent shock waves through Pakistan, her attackers were found guilty. She used her government compensation money to build schools in her village.

Strap"I have a message to the women of the world and all the women who have been raped or subjected to any kind of violation: that no matter what, they must talk about it and they must fight for justice."

Interview with Mukthar Mai

"I try to bring the first drop of water"

Your case is an example of the gender apartheid in Pakistan. Do you consider yourself a victim?
"Yes, I consider myself a victim. But now I feel proud when people consider me as a role model or someone who is working for victims."

How would you describe victimhood in your case?

"Well, I think what happened to me is the worst thing one can do to any woman. So I can describe my victimhood in these terms: I were a man, this would not have happened to me, so they made me a victim because I am a woman."

If this kind of gender apartheid exists in your view, what are its roots?
"The roots of gender apartheid are the feudal system, illiteracy, men's conservative thinking and society's social values. Plus politics."

There are perhaps thousands of "honour crimes" like the one you suffered in Pakistan each year. Survivors are more likely to kill themselves or be killed by their families than to turn to a legal system which requires four male adult Muslim eye witnesses to testify to rape, otherwise the victim can be convicted of fornication and adultery. But you went to court. What makes you so strong?

"I think Allah and my mother made me strong and gave me my inner will."

You have responded to the violence directed at you and other women with an insistence upon justice and education. When will you consider your battle to be over? What goals have to be achieved?

"I am battling against a system and I know it will take time. I also realize that this is not an easy task, but I am trying to bring the first drop of water in a heavy rain. I want to make the best contribution I can, and pray to Allah for change."

You are far from safe. Only global pressure forced Pakistan to give you a passport so that you could meet women abroad, and you still receive death threats from those who view you as a danger to the nation’s image and social order. How do you manage?

"Yes, there is a lot of pressure – more than you can imagine – but I have a mission before me. So I never think of that pressure and I believe Allah is with me."

In your opinion, what should be the focus of worldwide academic research in the field of victimology?

"A total change in the judicial system and tackling root causes."

What must researchers not forget under any circumstances?

"I think that researchers should concentrate more on victims. What I mean is that they should include the victim in their work towards better outcomes."

From unknown village girl to international celebrity travelling the world to spread her message. How does that make you feel?

"It is quite amazing for me, this change in my life. But I still wish the rape had not happened to me."