Global Human Rights Defence holds film festival in The Hague: Women's Rights Edition

The Hague [Netherlands], July 1 : Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD), on Friday, held the second edition of its Human Rights Film Festival in the Hague with a focus on women's rights, according to the press statement released by the GHRD.

During the festival, eight short films, documentaries and snippets of larger movies were showcased which touched upon various issues linked to women's rights in all regions of the world.

Dolkun Isa, President of the World Uyghur Congress, was the Chief Guest of the event.

The event was a success, with an attendance crowd of around 170 people. Including the presents of international representatives from the embassy of Germany, Kazakhstan, Peru, Mexico, Italy, Bangladesh, France and Sweden.

The movies all received great feedback from the audience.

A particular focus was given to the situation of women in South-East Asia, with movies raising awareness of the fate of the Ahmadiyya community, Yezidi women and girls and forced conversion. Other movies approached different fundamental topics such as domestic violence and the way out of poverty. The final documentary presented today was a Global Human Rights Defence production regarding the liberation war of Bangladesh, with on-the-ground footage from GHRD staff, as per the statement.

The first phase of the festival was closed with a speech by the President of the World Uyghur Congress. He addressed the ongoing genocide of the Uyghur community in Xinjiang, China. Adding to the power of his words, he brought along one of the few concentration camp survivors. A woman who, against all odds, found her way out of a violent system of oppression and terror, and lives to tell the stories of those who are still suffering, and those who died, having only committed the sin of being alive. The genocide of the Uyghur community has been qualified by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as a crime against humanity. Dolkun Isa's speech was not only a powerful statement but also a necessary one to bring more awareness to the atrocious human rights violations committed in Xinjiang and call for the attention of the international community to end this genocide and protect human rights and the lives of the Uyghur population.

The second phase of the festival ended with a panel discussion, moderated by GHRD director Lina Borchardt. It featured the voices of six women from various backgrounds: Manel Msalmi (International Affairs Advisor to the European Parliament), Rubina Greenwood (World Sindhi Congress), Herma Kluin (private investigator and winner of the Woman of the Year award), Maria Luz Noches (Journalist and member of the Shelter City initiative), Zumteray Arkin (World Uyghur Congress) and Yulia Como (AFEW). Discussions veered on multiple topics from stalking to "feminicide," the statement read.

Rubina Greenwood highlighted the forced conversion in Pakistan. She put the emphasis on showing that forced abductions and conversions are a politically driven agenda that targets women in order to push Hindu communities out of Pakistan. This weaponization of faith has only intensified in the last years, making it a matter of international concern, that calls for immediate international relief action.

Altogether, while this festival showcased multiple dire situations in which women still find themselves today, it brought a message of empowerment and hope. In the words of our panellist, Zumteray Arkin, "We have to be allies for each other", lift each other up and come together to elevate this movement for all women. In a world where every 11 minutes a woman or a girl is killed by her intimate partner or a family member, there is a sense of urgency in uplifting women's voices and stories and bringing about equality, according to the statement.

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