In Pakistan, #MeToo has also morphed into MeinBhi, a campaign launched in response to the brutal rape and murder of eight-year-old Zainab in January 2018. The objective is to make the government – and everyone else – acknowledge the rampant child abuse in the country.
The music video above, made with the participation of 32 front-line singers, backed by a 40-piece orchestra, uses the same title, Mein Bhi, for an anthem for human rights. According to a press release issued by Catwalk Cares, the company that produced the video, “The purpose of the movement is to empower people to speak up in order to create awareness and generate support...to let people know that they are not alone, that they can voice their opinions and concerns without being afraid of being judged.”
The song is a rendition of musician Shehzad Roy’s Kya Darta Hai (below), which exhorts people to speak up. Its first line: “Pehle bolne se darte they, ab na bolein toh dar lagta hai.” (We used to be afraid of speaking, now we’re afraid of not speaking.)
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