Samar Minallah Khan: Making Change Through Movies

Short biographies of activists from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India

 South Asian Activists

Meet Samar Minallah Khan. She is an activist, anthropologist (someone who studies humans and how they live), and documentarian (someone who makes movies about real people) who works to make the lives of women and children in Pakistan better. We're going to follow Samar on her journey to becoming the person she is today. We'll start by traveling to Pakistan the place where she was born and does her activist work.

After completing her studies in Cambridge, Samar felt called to return to Pakistan. She wanted to take all the things she learned and use that information to help people in her community. In Pakistan, many people are doing well, but there are also many women and children who are being hurt or do not live in a safe home.

At the same time, Samar tried to reach even more people by creating moving billboards. These billboards would feature images of girls to raise awareness around Swara while being driven around on trucks and rickshaws 

http://womenhavewings.org/wp-content/uploads/Samar_Minallah_Khan.jpg https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/972774-Imagecopy-1444833999/972774-Imagecopy-1444833999.jpg https://www.hellopakistanmag.com/digital_images/extra-large/2020-05-20/samar-minallah-khan-wins-an-award-in-new-york-for-her-truck-art-project-1608119335-2840.jpeg https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/adimaimalaga-tafunai-samar-minallah-khan-melanne-verveer-and-becky-picture-id470884232 https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2015/06/30/dsc_1669_custom-5b9bd196658ebdf5b2bea41a387eb7f76c65f555.jpg?s=6 https://samarminallahkhan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Slider-4.jpg https://www.hellopakistanmag.com/uploads/digital_news/2020-05-20/948709967-1608119335-771308618.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/Samar_Minallah_%28in_the_middle%29 _Filming_in_Rahimyar_Khan_for_a_documentary_on_Human_Trafficking.JPG https://www.vitalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Wiswedel_170609DSC09606-Edit-669x1024.jpg https://i.ytimg.com/vi/J3ixQMFCs4M/maxresdefault.jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000400994398/1c1a852892d1b0be887d52e5f97ddf 35_400x400.jpeg https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/10/5d9e8d504d4dc.jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/716141637534158848/LcRnRyGV_400x400.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Bilquis_Minallah.jpg https://www.thenews.com.pk//assets/uploads/magazine/2020-04-06/640339_4314354_minullah_magazine.jpg https://www.vitalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Samar-2015Portrait-1024x683.jpg https://giwps.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Slider-1.jpg https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nfLyHegqVFw/maxresdefault.jpg

Thanks to people like Samar, Pakistan made Swara illegal in 2004. Unfortunately, just because Swara is illegal, it doesn't mean everyone stopped using the practice. Sometimes traditions are hard to break away from and people in remote parts of Pakistan continue to give away girls. Samar couldn't stand by and let this happen, so she kept helping however she could.

In 2015, Samar received the Global Leadership Award from an organization called Vital Voices. Hilary Clinton leads this organization and seeks to acknowledge women all over the world who are working to make their communities better.

The first thing Samar looked to do was make people understand what Swara is and see why it is such a big problem. Even though few girls are actually given away in this practice, it is important to end Swara so that all girls can feel safe.

With her camera in hand, Samar started going to villages so she could share people's experiences with Swara.

Ali, Abid. “The Heinous Practice of Vani or Swara in Pakistan.” Eqbal Ahmad Centre for Public Education, 21 Sept. 2018, https://eacpe.org/the-heinous-practice-of-vani-in-pakistan/. Ghosh, Palash. “Swara: The Horrors of Marrying off Young Girls in Pakistan to Older Men to Settle Debts and Disputes.” International Business Times, 20 Feb. 2014, https://www.ibtimes.com/swara-horrors-marrying-young-girls-pakistan-older-men-settle-debts-disputes-1556721. Islamabad. “Tribal Custom Forces Girls into ‘Compensation Marriages.’” The New Humanitarian, 7 Jan. 2016, https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2003/08/20/tribal-custom-forces-girls-compensation-marriages. Klibanoff, Eleanor. “Filmmaker Wants to Stop Fathers from Giving up Their Daughters.” NPR, NPR, 1 July 2015, https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/07/01/417435209/she-wants-to-stop-fathers-from-giving-up-their-daughters. Samar Minallah Khan, 2019, https://samarminallahkhan.com/introduction/. “Samar Minallah Khan.” Women Have Wings, Women Have Wings, 16 Nov. 2019, http://womenhavewings.org/whw-courage-award15/.&nbsp;

Looking for the best education, Samar moved to England. She studied at Cambridge University and became an anthropologist. 

After a crime has happened, the person who is guilty must make an apology. Sometimes, instead of going to jail, the guilty person may be allowed to give money to the person who was hurt. Swara is when, instead of giving money or going to jail, a young girl who is related to the guilty person is given away to the harmed person's family. This is not a good type of apology. Swara is a form of revenge and punishes girls who committed no crime. Samar is hoping to end the practice through her documentaries and discussions.

Samar is from Sirikot, Hazara, in Pakistan. Here she was raised by her parents Nasrum Minallah and Bilqees Minallah who both worked in government. Most of her siblings also participate in activism or government work.

Samar's brother Athar Minallah who is the chief Justice of Islamabad High Court&nbsp;

Samar's mom Bilquis Nasrum Minallah who was a member of Pakistan's National Assembly

Samar's sister Fauzia Minallah who is a political cartoonist

This book was created in course on South Asian Politics at Lehigh University taught by Prof Nandini Deo (<a href="mailto:ndd208@lehigh.edu">ndd208@lehigh.edu</a>). I tried to contact the activist featured here and was unable to get in touch with Ms. Minallah Khan. Readers who wish to contribute to her cause can get further information at her website below.

Samar Minallah Khan | Anthropologist and Documentary Filmmaker.

If you'd like to watch Samar's documentary "Swara--A Bridge Over Troubled Water" the movie is below. Samar worked very hard on this movie, but the topic is serious, so parents may want to watch it with you.

Swara (A Bridge Over Troubled Water)

Samar's work has inspired many people. In Afghanistan a tradition similar to Swara called Bad is practiced. All of the information Samar created is being replicated in Afghanistan to help the girls and women there.

Samar was determined to help as many of these women and girls as possible. To do this, while Samar was raising awareness among the people of Pakistan, she was also working with the Pakistani government. Her documentary was given to government workers, religious scholars, and tribal elders in addition to the general population. Samar also filed a public interest litigation with the Supreme Court of Pakistan. This meant that she was hoping to change how the government reacted to Swara. For a while, this practice was legal, but Samar made sure that changed.

Samar continues to do work around Swara and has helped countless women and girls. You can't force someone to agree with your opinion, so Samar hopes for gradual change that will eventually lead to the end of Swara. This is why Samar talks to men. If young boys recognize the practice is bad, then they won't allow it to happen when they get to make decisions. Even though Swara is illegal, people are fearful of pursuing legal action as it is seen as gossiping. Samar works to save girls in anyway she can, whether that be through the legal system or intervening in the village. Samar has personally saved more than 50 girls from Swara and keeps working to stop any girl from having to experience this form of revenge.

While Samar is focused on educating men, that doesn't mean all men are supportive of the custom. Many men whose daughters have been given away are upset by the practice, but they often have no choice but to let their daughter go. Swara hurts men in a different way than it hurts women. The men who are responsible for the crime now must give up someone they are very close to. If they refuse to give away a member of their family, they could get in serious trouble or even lose all of their money.

In 2003, Samar made a documentary called Swara—da jhwand mairmen. In English, this means Swara—A Bridge Over Troubled Water.

In her documentary, Samar talked to lots of different people so that many stories and important information could be shared through the documentary.

She interviewed young girls, adult men, and adult women and compared their different opinions.

In her documentary, Samar talks to a woman who was a Swara. This woman talks about how hard it is to be given away just to settle an argument.

The woman, who is hidden to keep her safe, says her new family does not treat her well because one of her relatives was responsible for hurting someone in her new family. This mistreatment means girls who are given away face a harsh punishment for a crime they did not commit.

Samar wants everyone to understand how Swara harms women and girls. Samar hopes to inform men on the pain of Swara so they teach their sons to not engage with Swara. When the normal practices of a culture change for the better, then there is real progress.

Samar talked to some of the elders who approve of the use of Swara. They argue that Swara is a part of their culture and justified by Islam.

She also talks to other men who tell her that this practice goes against Islamic principles.

In 2006, Samar led a study to get an understanding of how many girls are impacted by Swara and being given away hurt them in their adult life. Here, Samar used her education to write a research paper called Swara-The Human Shield. Samar continues works with law enforcement officers to help them understand Swara and be sensitive to the harm these women and girls face. She educates news organizations and young people on Swara so that more people understand how it is an issue that should matter to all of us.

Samar wanted to combine her passion to help people with her education by sharing her knowledge with others. One of the issues that was important to her was Swara. Before we see how she has worked to help many girls, let's understand what Swara is.

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