One of my co-volunteers recommended this documentary to me, as we were discussing lots of interesting topics around women’s rights + abuse over lunch during training the last few weeks. This powerful documentary by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is difficult to watch, but tells an important story about Saba, whose father & uncle tried to kill her because she disobeyed her family and married for love.

The hardest part to stomach was not the horrible injuries, poor Saba’s suffering or the ignorant comments her father made when he stood by his actions and said he’d do it again and that he was an honourable man for doing so. The worst part was watching this poor girl give in to her village elders (men, of course) who convinced her that forgiving her father & uncle was in the best interests of everyone in the village, and that she didn’t really have another choice.

Sadly, Saba’s story is all too common and honour killings are still a huge problem in many places, even here in the UK! Fortunately, Saba, strong and determined as she was, survived the horrible attack, and she went on to tell her story. Because of this documentary, the Pakistani government was actually forced to reconsider its brutal lack of legal support and consequences for committing these heinous crimes. There is still a long way to go but it is a massive step forward.

WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY: Girl In The River: The Price of Forgiveness