Mukhtaran Mai, a gang rape survivor, sent out a message of hope to the world as she walked the runway at the Fashion Pakistan Week 2016.
Fourteen years ago, Mukhtaran Mai was gang raped and paraded naked in public. That tragic incident has not silenced the survivor, who sent out a strong message to the world by walking the ramp at the Fashion Pakistan Week Winter/Festive 2016 on November 2 in Karachi, Pakistan.
The minute she stepped onstage, Mukhtaran, who was the showstopper for fashion designer Rozina Munib, was welcomed with a loud cheer and a standing ovation.
Mukhtaran, who started the Mukhtar Mai Women's Welfare Organisation in 2007 to help educate and empower the women of Pakistan, was dressed in a traditional pista green embroidered kurta and silver silk salwar with a dupatta covering her head. Her fashion debut has come as a ray of hope for other rape survivors.
Munib's collection, Zindagi Ke Rang (The colours of life), was dedicated to the women's rights activist as the designer was very impressed after reading her story.
Take a look at Mukhtaran on the ramp!
All photographs: Frieha Altaf/Instagram
Mukhtaran reportedly told the media present, 'If I take one step and it helps even one woman, I would be very happy to do that.'
'I want to be the voice of those women who face circumstances similar to what I did,' Mai said. 'My message for my sisters is that we aren't weak. We have a heart and a brain, we also think. I ask my sisters to not lose hope in the face of injustice, as we will get justice one day for sure.'
