Executive Director Ethnomedia and Development.
Born: N/A
Profession: Social worker
Affiliation(s): Others
Citizenship: Pakistani
Profile Samar Minallah is a documentary filmmaker, journalist and human rights activist from Pakistan. She has produced a number of documentaries, documenting the Vanni and Swara traditions in Pakistan, primarily focused on discrimination against women. Minallah is on the board of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority and runs her own NGO (Non Government Organization) called Ethnomedia Background and education Samar has an MPhil in Anthropology & Development from the University of Cambridge. Campaign against 'giving' of girls as compensation In 2003, Minullah made a documentary on the practice of 'Swara' where girls are given as compensation to end age old disputes, with the aim of raising the profile of the custom and to persuade policy makers to finally recognize the problem and act to eliminate it In 2004, following the documentary, the law was amended and according to PPC-310-A, whoever gives or takes a girl in compensation can receive 3 to 10 years imprisonment. Samar filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court of Pakistan against the custom. As a result, the Supreme Court directed the Inspectors General of Police (IGPs) of the four provinces of Pakistan to stop marriages to settle family feuds, declaring the customs of Vanni and Swara un-Islamic. Samar was awarded the "Perdita Houston Human Rights Activist Award" for her contribution in advocating change on this issue. The award was presented by well-renowned feminist and author Gloria Steinman. Other work Other works include ‘Bibi Shireenay: Where Honour Comes From’ and ‘Shinwaray Lawangeena: Where the Waters Meet’ Samar has also won a Unesco-sponsored regional documentary-making competition, addressing the issue of HIV and AIDS. Other countries participating were Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Samar was selected as one of the "Young Leaders of Asia" by Asia Society New York in 2007. The filmmaker is also a recipient of the Unicef Child Rights Award 2005, which was presented to her for upholding the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in programming for and about the girl child in Pakistan. Some of her recent documentaries are ‘Allaho: A Lullaby for You my Daughter!’ ‘Warawae-e-Lasoona: The Song of Unity,’ ‘The Missing Link,’ ‘The Hidden Colours of the Northwest Frontier Province,’ and ‘The Dark Side of Migration.
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