Abstract:

When Mukhtar Mai was brutally raped by four men for standing up for her family it was thought she would kill herself (in accord with local tradition).  Instead Mukhtar reported the rape to the police and when they did nothing she took her story to a local journalist.  From there her story became an international example of the oppression of women under fundamentalist Islamic law.  Despite many death threats Mukhar Mai continued her plight for justice by helping start a Crisis Relief Centre for abused women and a children's school.  Over four years she also published her autobiography that was published in 21 languages and travelled the world to spread her message of justice.