Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy sheds light on child abuse in latest animated series

The film shines an important light on the perils of child labour

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is not one to shy away the truth. She has, time and again, highlighted the many social issues that plague Pakistan through her work and she's not backing down anytime soon. She is now gearing up for a brand new animated series which focuses on child labour and child abuse in the country.

The Oscar-winner hopes to highlight the plight of children from across Pakistan with Shattering the Silence. The four-part animated series will feature real-life stories of child abuse from the victims themselves.

 

PHOTO: SCREEN GRAB

A social campaign presented in Urdu, Sharmeen's goal is to educate viewers with the legal rights child hold, particularly accessible resources and the steps that they can take if they ever find themselves facing abuse of any kind.

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Cheena Hua Bachpan is the first episode of Shattering the Silence, which is narrated by a young girl who was sold by her parents to pay off a loan and made to work in an influential family's home.  "Whenever I hung the clothes out to dry, I could almost smell my Ami's dupatta," she says at the start of the episode.

PHOTO: SCREEN GRAB

Deprived of basic human rights, we see the girl locked up in a storeroom cupboard, beaten and even starved for days. As she stares at her broken body in the mirror, she reflects on her life. "Two years passed by. My dreams faded away. All I have is the scars."

The film then takes a somewhat positive spin as a next door neighbour finds her locked outside in the cold and crying. Cleverly using the script to show viewers the laws that could protect the girl and others in similar positions, Cheena Hua Bachpan leads us on a journey no child should ever have to take.

PHOTO: SCREEN GRAB

"I told them everything... how I was beaten, burned and kept hungry for days," the girl narrates. "When my case went to the court, I couldn't understand what was going on."

It seems the issue of child abuse is a growing menace in Pakistan.  Academic research suggests governments have failed to form a legislative framework for the protection of the children. In addition, a very tiny percentage and negligible amount of funds is allocated to children-specific programs and activities.

PHOTO: SCREEN GRAB

So what can we take from Sharmeen's thought-provoking project? Perhaps the most vital message is the role communities can play in protecting children. People should report child abuse immediately, and support, educate and empower the victims.

Just taking notice and the time to gather evidence, like the nice neighbour who takes photographs of the little girl's bruises and reports her to the police, can both save children and serve as a warning for culprits.

PHOTO: SCREEN GRAB

Cheena Hua Bachpan has been conceptualised, produced and directed by Sharmeen's SOC Films and each installment will be between two to three minutes long. We hope Shattering the Silence manages to do all that it has set out to achieve.

Watch the full film here:



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