The co-director of the Academy Award-winning documentary “Saving Face” stresses the importance of telling the stories of ordinary individuals who courageously speak out against human rights abuses.

"Saving Face" and Empowering Women
Teams of surgeons and psychiatrists will travel from the U.S. to Pakistan to work with specialists there as they rehabilitate the survivors of gruesome acid attacks, Dr. Saima Zafar announced at the U.S. Institute of Peace following a screening and discussion of the film “Saving Face” on May 22, 2012. Zafar is the president of the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America, the group behind the new initiative. Zafar also announced that doctors from Pakistan will come to the United States for training on the treatment of acid burns as part of a program supported by the U.S. State Department.

“It’s extremely important to have this transfer of skills,” said Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the filmmaker who co-directed the Academy Award-winning documentary. The film follows two Pakistani survivors of acid attacks, Zakia and Rukhsana, highlighting the challenges they face in recovery and in achieving justice. It also features plastic surgeon Dr. Mohammad Jawad, who returned to his home country of Pakistan to help acid attack victims.

During the conversation following the film screening, Obaid-Chinoy stressed the importance of telling stories of ordinary individuals who courageously speak out against human rights abuses. “At the end of the day, they are the heroes,” she said. “By telling their stories, they have empowered hundreds of women who have been victims.”

The discussion was moderated by Kathleen Kuehnast, the director of USIP’s Gender and Peacebuilding Center. Kuehnast noted that USIP programs have shown that broad dialogue among all stakeholders is necessary to confront human rights abuses and re-knit societies following violent conflict.

Obaid-Chinoy agreed, saying that violence against women is “a problem that can only be solved if we bring everyone on board” and include schools, clerics, the government, and others in the discussion.

“We are lucky to have started a conversation that can continue in many countries,” she said.

The Institute’s Pakistan program organized and hosted the event, as part of its effort to convene influential Pakistani and American speakers to discuss this strategically important country. 

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