Love and Marriage in Kabul – Shepparton Interfaith Network

The Greater Shepparton Women's Charter Alliance Advisory Committee, in conjunction with GOTAFE, the Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District, and Shepparton Interfaith Network, is holding a FREE screening of 'Love and Marriage in Kabul' at the Harder Auditorium on Tuesday 14th of July, 2015, at 6:30pm

The movie is being held on Malala Day, and the movie has been chosen to highlight the important issue of forced marriages.

Who is Malala?

Malala Yousafzai is a courageous advocate for universal education and girls’ rights. Malala was targeted for her brave activism and in October of 2012, the Taliban boarded her school bus and shot her and two other girls. After the shooting, Malala was flown from her home in Pakistan to the UK to recover. Malala is now back at school and continues to campaign for every child’s right to education.

What is Malala Day?

Malala Day, observed every year on 14 July, is not just a day to celebrate Malala Yousafzai. It is a day for all children everywhere to raise their voices and be heard. It is a day to stand up for education and say to world that we are stronger than the enemies of education and stronger than the forces that threaten girls, boys and women from leading happy and productive lives. Learn more about Malala Day through her official website: www.malala.org. You can read more about Malala Day here.

Forced Marriage in Australia

Hundreds of women in Australia are still being forced into marriage despite the practice being made illegal just over two years ago, Victorian welfare groups have said.

Laws passed by the Labor government in 2013 made it illegal to coerce, threaten or deceive someone into marriage.

And while Victorian authorities have yet to prosecute anyone under the new laws, forced marriage has been described as an emerging problem in Australia and many cases are thought to go unreported. Meanwhile, a report from Plan International Australia has found there were 250 cases of children being forced into marriage in the past two years.

This screening will be followed by a forum on Forced Marriage at a date to be announced.

Love and Marriage in Kabul - About the movie:

Mahboba Rawi is a strong-willed Afghan-Australian woman who has dedicated her life to help orphans in Afghanistan. She is the founder of Mahboba’s Promise and a mother figure for thousands of orphans and widows currently supported by her programs. Abdul, one of these orphans, is in love with Fatemeh, the girl next door. The two have been exchanging romantic letters for almost a year and hope to marry each other one day. But Fatemeh’s father has other plans – he has decided to marry her off to anyone who can offer a large sum of money as her dowry. Devastated, Abdul is hoping when Mahboba arrives for her yearly trip to Kabul, that she will help him again. When Mahboba hears the story, she is very concerned about Abdul, and Fatemeh’s possible fate in a forced marriage, She is determined to make the marriage happen between Abdul and Fatemah. However, the demands that Fatemeh’s father makes are beyond anyone’s expectations. He won’t let the marriage take place unless Mahboba pays him $10,000 or finds a wife for his eldest son who then can replace Fatemeh in taking care of the household. With nothing to Abdul’s name, the fate of the couple depends entirely on Mahboba’s ability to meet or negotiate the father’s terms. But Mahboba only has one month and limited resources.