Mahira Khan sheds light on rampant victim-blaming in the Pakistani society

Actor speaks up about communal values and the change required in mindsets to highlight the rise in crime against women

There has been a rife debate about violence against women in the country. While more cases are now being reported, most victims still await justice as they often take to social media and raise awareness about the rise in crimes against women. However, social media is a multi-faceted space where these victims are often shamed for their whereabouts and their clothing. Several celebrities took to these platforms and talked about the ongoing victim-blaming and slut-shaming that has been so rampant in the recent past.

Superstar Mahira Khan has also been vocal about her stance on the subject. In an interview recently, the award-winning actor talked about how she thinks a change in the mindset is of the dire need to discuss topics such as women's rights.

 

 

 

 

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“Whenever such an incident occurs, the first question that is usually asked is why was she out so late? Was he her boyfriend? Why was she there alone? These are the wrong questions to ask!”, Mahira said. “This needs to be ingrained in the mindsets of the generation after us, if not in the generation before us,” the Humsafar star strongly believes that the television and drama industry can and should play a role in actualising the right questions. "Schools should design programs that internalise the right ways to deal with situations involving violence to avoid victim-blaming," Mahira added.

The 36-year-old superstar also spoke about the questions she received about her role in Verna, a 2017 film about rape. She is often asked about why a woman who was raped would go back into the room to find evidence and hence, put herself in danger and recreate a sense of trauma. “I was shocked to listen when people told me that victims usually don’t seek revenge. I was like, ‘Really? You can’t find one person who would do that? Because people do that. Women do get that angry that they go and find evidence.” Mahira retorted.

The Pakistani actor and producer believes that a story like Verna wasn’t accepted in our society because it showed a girl wearing jeans and speaking English and that absolutely shouldn’t be the deciding point of our subconscious judgments.

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