KATHMANDU: A short film named ‘Agnidahan’ (self-immolation) was screened in the Prime Minister’s official residence at Baluwatar, Kathmandu today which illustrates how once an alleged witch turns into a model social worker.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his spouse Radhika Shakya, ministers, lawmakers and artistes among others watched the film screened on the occasion of the 109th International Women’s Day.
The 1 hour 55 minutes long-educative film based how a young foreign returnee woman was accused of practicing witchcraft by her fellow villagers in a village in Terai and how she overcame the stigma and raises awareness about this superstition.
Anupama Bhandari (played by Pramila Tulachan) in the movie returns to her hometown from the UK for two months. She becomes victim to the superstition of being a witch, but in reality she has developed a mental complication due to some unpleasant circumstances.
Upon a good medical intervention, she regains her mental health and stands up to raise awareness against witchery due to which many women, especially those from the lower strata of our society continue to be victimized.
The movie produced by the ‘Manche Bokshi Kaile Hunna’ (A person never becomes a witch) National Awareness Foundation aims to spread the message witchery is a mental illusion. It firmly believes that raising awareness against it would help eliminate this ill tradition.
Violence against women is one of the major human rights violations in Nepal and one type of violence perpetrated against women is accusing them of witchcraft.
Foundation Coordinator Mohan Raj Poudel said that the movie concludes that there still prevailed the ill tradition of witchcraft due to lack of awareness among people.
The persecution and killing of women, especially elderly and single ones, in the name of practicing witchcraft is still prevalent in most of the eastern and western parts of the Terai region in the country.
The movie was produced at the cost of Rs 10 million while around Rs 5 million has already been spent for raising awareness through screening of this movie in various places across the country.
Written by Lokmani Poudel and directed by Ghanashyam Lamichhane, the movie launched by President Bidya Devi Bhandari some two years ago.
After watching the movie, PM Oli and his spouse grew emotional. They held discussions with the film crew for a while, too. Plans are afoot to dub the movie in Bhojpuri and Maithali languages to reach out to the wider audiences.
Lawmakers Bishnu Sharma, Udaya Sharma and Bina Budhathoki among others unequivocally voiced for coordinated efforts to raise awareness against this ill tradition and to eradicate it.
The Anti-witchcraft (Crime and Punishment) Act-2014 stipulates stringent actions against those involved in the inhumane treatment of women accused of practicing witchcraft.
According to the Act, the perpetrators of such act may be fined up to Rs 100,000 along with a jail sentence of up to 10 years.
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