SAMAAJ is set to release the first of its kind 2D animated series- Super Sohni, which introduces a new Pakistani hero, arriving to fight against the sexual abuse of young girls. The series will launch on Friday 17th December on YouTube along with other social media platforms and will also be widely shown in hundreds of schools across Pakistan.
Super Sohni will cover over 10 episodes with one episode being released online every Friday, starting from 17th December. The series aims to create wider awareness around the issue of child sexual abuse in the country, focusing mainly on minor girls, as they constitute 70% of the victims, as per local research.
The series falls under the Girls Sexual Abuse Prevention Program, initiated by SAMAAJ earlier this year. SAMAAJ is a Lahore based non-profit organization that was conceived in 2015 out of the passionate determination of a small group of creative individuals to create a just, inclusive, and equitable society through creative mediums and approaches. Led by the creative writer and journalist, Sehyr Mirza, and the noted filmmaker and poet, Ammar Aziz, the organization is using different art forms to advocate gender equality and freedom of expression.
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Speaking about the issue of child sexual abuse is still considered as a taboo subject in Pakistan. Resultantly, these last few years have seen a drastic increase in the number of child abuse cases reported in the country. According to research conducted by Sahil, an NGO in Pakistan, in 2020 a total of 2690 cases of CSA were reported, indicating a 4% increase in comparison to the previous year. Their reports also show that the number of child sexual abuse cases reported in Pakistan everyday shot up in first half of 2020, during the lockdown.
“As harrowing as these numbers may seem, they still don’t even remotely represent the extent of this problem because most of these cases still go unreported. This is because of the element of shame and dishonor which is attached to it,” said Sehyr Mirza. “Awareness is the first step towards prevention and eradication. It is therefore imperative to subtly educate our children on this issue and to teach them to maintain boundaries with everyone they know,” she added.
So stay tuned to find out more about how Super Sohni will end the toxic cycle of the sexual abuse of young girls, and go ahead and bash gender stereotypes!
