A THOUSAND GIRLS LIKE ME

Sexual violence against women became a punishable offense in Afghanistan in 2009. But in practice, women fear the possible consequences of bringing charges. Regrettably, Khatera’s story is a prime example of this phenomenon: she and her mother receive various threats, including from her own uncles, and they frequently have to move. Khatera’s father abused her throughout her childhood—he got her pregnant several times, so she had a number of abortions and eventually gave birth to a daughter. Acting on the advice of a mullah, she told her story on a TV program and brought charges against her father. The film has been presented at the Göteborg Film Festival 2019, Seattle International Film Festival 2019, Sheffield International Documentary Festival 2018 and Fribourg International Film Festival 2019.

Sahra Mani is an Afghan filmmaker and founder of Afghanistan Doc Film House, a production company based in Kabul, and co-founder of the London-based production company Anahat Vision and Films. In 2013, she helped organize the Afghanistan Human Rights Film Festival. Sahra’s films have played at festivals around the world and won numerous awards.