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ISLAMABAD Samar Minallah took another bold step on Thursday by premiering her latest documentary 'The Dark Side of Migration' at the South Asia Policy Analysis Network.
Her last work, reproduction of a video about flogging of a Swati girl, had sparked controversary about six months ago.
Although the 25-minute documentary has a misleading title, it is on human trafficking from a number of poor countries like Bangladesh, may be India and Pakistan.
The documentary states how a woman from Rahimyar Khan was snared in vile business of sex abuse, which ultimately ends in prostitution.
This woman's cousin (the name of the girl cannot be mentioned for reasons of propriety) lured her to Karachi and then sold her to a disabled person. From there onwards it was hell for her to be passed from one sex maniac to another, and adopting the infamous profession (prostitution).
Samar Minallah drives it home for all of her viewers that these so-called do-gooders use the trick of promising jobs to innocent girls, and even small children, who are then dispatched to Dubai or other parts of Middle East where they are abused.
A number of commentators such as Anis Jilani and a few more from Aurat Foundation and Action Aid appear on the screen to give personal reminiscences of horrifying tales about profession which has been related to them by the victims.
Rakshanda Naz of Aurat Foundation says in the documentary, 'In Pakistan it is common for various cultural practices to convert into human trafficking.'
We might also reproduce the comments of Partwamini Bibi from Mardan who remarked, 'My daughter got married to some strangers in Punjab. Being a widow and a maid making ends meet has always been difficult. For me being a parent with daughters of marriageable age it was a good deal.'
