Look at little bare foot Saima. She looks at the camera a little unsure of what is expected of her, hardly aware of the fate that hung over her head, when her father Hashmat committed a “Sharam” (an honor crime.)
In a small village Bashkhali in Mardan, a Jirga was convened to placate the angry aggrieved family. The edict of the Jirga was to give 5 year old Saima in marriage to a 25 year old man called Muhammad Ali.
What is chilling is that the father had no qualms about hiding behind his small helpless daughter. Thanks to a tip off by a concerned villager Samar’s research team intervened and the Jirga was kind enough to change its edict to financial compensation instead.
We hope that Saima enjoys being a little girl and gets to play with her little dolls and never knows what misery can be.
Thank you Samar and thank you to all those people who want to see a positive change.