Showing @ CCA, Glagsow, Sun 12 Oct only @ 17.15
Hind Bensari / Morocco / 2013 / 47 mins
Emma Watson’s recent speech to the UN and magazines like The Vagenda, are gradually bringing feminism back into the foreground of the public eye. But in Morocco the situation is very different. Hind Bensari’s uncomfortable and disturbing documentary examines the law that enables the forced marriage of rape victims to their aggressors.
A hangover from when Morocco was under French rule, article 475 is a law purportedly to let a girl who has “lost” her honour (virginity) to retain her respect in society. During her investigation, Bensari discovers that it’s not just the courts acting callously, but that public opinion concurs. Vox pops with men, women, girls and boys all suggest this kind of attitude is an accepted and expected aspect of Moroccan culture.
Bensari reveals that the problem isn’t the law but that the country has a systemic attitude of sexism: parents disown daughters who are raped; babies of victims are denied proper citizenship; scientific evidence is ignored over the testimony of a rapist. There’s a deep-seeded belief held by many that women who have sex out of marriage are tainted. Of course for men it’s fine!
However, there’s a burgeoning movement challenging this ideal. Bensari’s interviews with lawyers, journalists and victims provide rationale to the discussion, indicating that numerous men and women are fed up with this outdated perspective. The Internet allows victims who can’t find sympathy within their family, to make connections with others who show do compassion and also spread a wider awareness of the situation. It is unlikely the practice will stop anytime soon but the more that women are empowered to speak out about it, the more possibility there is for change.
Showing as part of the Document International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival 2014