A Mother's Lament

Filmed in Hi-8, A Mother's Lament recounts the tragedy of Shima Choudhury, a young garment factory worker picked up by the police while traveling with her boyfriend. 16-year-old Shima was allegedly gang raped by four policemen later that night. She was then sent to prison for "safe custody" where she died under mysterious circumstances. Shima's case has become a landmark issue in the Bangladeshi women's struggle against institutional oppression and abuse of power. The case is now in appeal at the high court. Rather than presenting the story as an investigative piece, the video attempts to explore the issue from a personal perspective - the sense of disempowerment and hopelessness the family undergoes as it struggles to cope with the girl's incarceration leading to her death. Interviews with the family are joined with interviews of a cross-section of people, as they voice their concerns regarding the state of human rights in Bangladesh today.