A Thousand Girls Like Me

Although sexual abuse is a punishable offense in Afghanistan, few women report it for fear that they will be implicated in "moral crimes." In 2014, Khatera Gulzad spoke out against her father in order to get justice. After her father's arrest for rape, he was sent to jail to await trial. Throughout her life, Gulzad’s father was a regular presence at the mosque, so neighbors saw him as a pious man. For guidance, she spoke to 14 mullahs, but none were able to help until the 15th, who recommended that she take her story to the media. Doing so brought attention to her case, although her legal adviser warns that she will need to prove that she tried to get help beyond simply reporting her father to the authorities. Even her brothers give Gulzad a hard time, because they believe that her televised testimony has brought shame to their family. Although Gulzad wanted to terminate her second pregnancy, she was forced to carry the child to term in order to provide DNA evidence. "Zainab is my daughter," she says about her first child, "but she is also my sister." She considers putting the baby Mohammed up for adoption, since she and her mother are barely scraping by. They also live in fear of her uncles, who are protective of her father. Eventually, she is forced to move several times. "Every woman in this country has a hundred owners," Gulzad laments. "It’s always been like this." By the end, however, as her father continues to await sentencing, Gulzad has found a way to escape, although she knows that not all women in her situation will have that option. Director Sahra Mani recounts Gulzad’s journey here with sympathy and sensitivity. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)