Fahhad Rajper was appalled when Pakistan’s Council of Islamic Ideology proposed last week that husbands be allowed to beat their wives lightly. The constitutional body recommended a Bill that permits a wife to be hit if she defies the husband’s command, refuses to dress according to his wishes, and turns down his demands for sex, among other things.
A photographer, Rajper whipped out his camera and created monochrome portraits of Pakistani women. His initiative, called #TryBeatingMeLightly, gives women another platform to react to the Bill.
“#TryBeatingMeLightly is an initiative to empower women amongst us who work towards individual and collective betterment,” Rajper wrote in a Facebook post. “It’s an opportunity for those to voice their opinions who can’t or don’t. The women around me, at my home, in my friend circle and in the industry that I love – like yourself.”
Rajper says the campaign acts as the “best shut up call for the extremists”. “This isn’t for me, it’s for all men who as much as get a faint thought of putting a woman down! More power to you,” Rajper wrote.
Here are some of Rajper’s images from the series:
The response to the social media campaign has been encouraging, with people coming up with their own versions:
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