Educational Media Reviews Online

Against My Will profiles Dastak, a women’s shelter in the northern Pakistani city of Lahore. Many of the women residing in the shelter are escaping abusive marriages, or wishing to leave marriages they were forced into at a very young age. For these women, turning to their parents or brothers and sisters is not a feasible option. In Pakistan, it is believed that a woman who leaves her marriage, regardless of the situation, is a disgrace to her family. She faces the possibility of being put to death by the male members of her family if she returns. Known as an honor killing, this action is perceived as a way of defending the family honor. In addition to escaping an abusive marriage or an unhappy situation, these women are also seeking protection from their families.

The film is dedicated to a woman named Kubra, a former resident of the shelter, who was killed by her family after being convinced by them to return home. Women who lived in the shelter with her discuss Kubra as well as their own personal stories. Tragically, society and the media in Pakistan do not sympathize with the victims. The belief is that a woman is running away because she has something to hide, or she has a lover. The film also shows an attempt at an interview with Kubra’s family but the reporter is told to leave the village and to leave them alone. At a press conference held shortly after Kubra’s death, a human rights organization from Pakistan noted that about 1000 women in Pakistan are the victims of honor killings each year.

Against My Will, (subtitled in English) depicts the many functions of the shelter. Besides providing the women with a safe living arrangement, the shelter also offers legal services, counseling and mediation between the women and their families. Recommended for criminal justice, human rights, Middle Eastern studies, multicultural studies, or women’s studies collections in an academic library.