Lucania Film Festival – ENG

Vies perdues, vies retrouvees

A movement which individually targets the defence and rescue of girls and women subjected to criminal traditions, martyrs in their souls and their bodies, with their children. Mutilated, prostituted, raped, rejected, burnt, lapidated, held hostage, designated victims so chosen because they are females. They can be found all over the world. Adolescents and women enslaved, girls kept illiterate and in bondage, girls sexually mutilated, women raped during wars, widows with AIDS rejected with their children, girls and women killed in the name of family honour, women assassinated for lack of dowry, etc. Having witnessed their suffering, SURGIR wants to cry out and help them in their action, their revolt, and become the instrument of their fight.

SURGIR is a Swiss Foundation, based in Lausanne and set up from articles 80 and following of the Civil Code. It has a Board of five persons and an executive comity. It functions with the help of a small team of four workers and numerous volunteers in Lausanne, and about 15 colleagues in the programmes in the field (Middle East). Those who receive a salary will be paid modestly from donations given uniquely for the running of the association. All those who become involved in SURGIR are aware of the extent of the endeavour and the necessity of giving his/her time, but also part of his/her personal comfort to this cause. SURGIR is neither a political nor a religious movement. [web site]

The honuor Killing
It is a widespread communal custom in patriarchal societies of the Middle East, Pakistan and certain regions of South America. It existed in Arab society before the birth of Islam. It is prevalent at all levels of society, bows to no law and is not religious in nature, since it is practised by people of different confessions. This cruel custom legitimises the killing, by a family member, of a girl or young woman suspected of having breached the family code of honour. The criteria defining such a code are, of course, specific to the society in question; however, it can be stated that any attitude involving a girl’s virginity (sexual intercourse, rape, incest, mere rumours), the fact of having been seen with a boy, dressing in a manner deemed indecent, coming home late at night, speaking to a male friend on the telephone, can arouse suspicions in the family circle and lead to an honour killing. Members of the family circle believe that the honour of the family resides in the girl’s physical integrity and that, if this honour has been undermined – or suspected to be undermined – it must be avenged in the blood of the supposed culprit. It is the father, a brother, a cousin or a person designated by the family who takes on the task of avenging the family’s honour, often a minor who risks only a lenient sentence. Various means are employed to murder these girls, who often may have their throats cut, be poisoned, shot, strangled, stabbed or soaked with petrol and burnt alive. After committing his crime, the perpetrator is hailed as a hero by the family, and he often gives himself up voluntarily to the police, who will generally condone his act. Despite the fact that the victims are often innocent of the misdemeanours of which they are accused – autopsies conducted in Jordan have revealed that 80% of the girls killed were virgins – the number of murders in the Middle East, Pakistan and Brazil is on the increase. The murderers receive prison sentences of between six months and two years only, and they are often released after a few months. It is not infrequent that they are released without conviction, as society recognises “that they had no choice”… Indeed, local laws are very lax in this area.

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