Karachi, May 29, 2023, Saima is executed. In court, her body lay pierced by two bullets. She was 24 years old. Her husband, Sikandar, had not tolerated the idea of her requesting a separation. He has since been incarcerated, and the scattered scratches of Saima's blood on his shirt have become large brownish stains. Sikandar has committed a crime, but there's no guarantee that he'll end up in prison: in Pakistan, a woman's life can be negotiated. If Saima's family agrees to forgive him, his crime will have been a legal one. In Pakistan, submission grows where the feminine walks. A feminine trapped, spied upon, destroyed by a predatory masculine who, sometimes faced with the wall of his own destitution, prefers to enslave so as not to be at the end of the chain of misfortune. Just as Sardanapalus murdered all the women in his court when power eluded him, Lethal Patience recounts the unbearable idea of the emancipation of a feminine-property.
In Karachi's Lyari district, violence has bruised the flesh. Thee few heavily wrapped feminine silhouettes that cross the public space have here been corroded by poverty, there scarred by men's violence. In Pakistan, 85% of women are victims of domestic violence, forced marriage is common, and honor killings are not an exception. To combat violence against women, a number of women-only police stations dedicated to these issues have been set up in several cities across the country. Although not yet widespread, these police stations offer legal advice and assistance to victims wishing to lodge a complaint. A widespread policy of setting up police stations dedicated to women could be a real step forward in the fight against gender-based violence.
If it's a woman, it's a body. Before being stranded in shelters where each one seems to struggle to move, there is a space where others move to fight. In the public space of a battle or an escape, the slightest sign of life serves to unveil the lethal patience.
LETHAL PATIENCE
Muslim Christian and Hindu communities cohabit in this neighborhood located in Civil Line Religious minorities face social pressure No law protects the victims In addition domestic violence and abuse of adulterated alcohol condemn women to precarious work and poverty
LETHAL PATIENCE
Three men walk down the street while staring at a prostitute leaning out of her window In Pakistan sexual relations outside marriage are still prohibited and punishable by years in prison or even death murder inflicted by the family itself and commonly known as honor killings
LETHAL PATIENCE
Pakistan Lahore 7 05 2023 Portrait of a transgender prostitute in the entrance of her building In Pakistan sexual relations outside marriage are still prohibited and punishable by years in prison or even death murder inflicted by the family itself and commonly known as honor killings
LETHAL PATIENCE
At the morgue a young woman is washed before her burial She had been sheltered in one of the Foundation s facilities Contrary to the usual practice when a person with no declared family dies the morgue keeps the corpse for several days in order to try to contact the family through the national fingerprint file But the file is far from having referenced the entire population This delay in the burials allows above all to gather enough bodies to proceed to collective burials which take place generally once a week
LETHAL PATIENCE
Pakistan Islamabad 05-05-2023 Afghan refugees whose homes were demolished by the authorities a few days earlier are condemned to live in extremely precarious conditions
LETHAL PATIENCE
A prostitute dances for a video recording Dance and prostitution are very often associated In Pakistan sexual relations outside marriage are still prohibited and punishable by years in prison or even death murder inflicted by the family itself and commonly known as honour killings
LETHAL PATIENCE
A violent husband is questioned by a female police officer Although not yet widespread these all-female police stations are dedicated to combating violence against women and offering legal advice
LETHAL PATIENCE
In the poor Lyari district the complainant picks up one of her children in the street Azan Samat Samia Baloch origin is a mother of 2 children Aged 34 she has been subjected to domestic violence by her husband Pervez for several years She decided to lodge a complaint at the women s police station
LETHAL PATIENCE
Muslim Christian and Hindu communities cohabit in this neighborhood located in Civil Line Religious minorities face social pressure and are often forced to convert No law protects the victims In addition domestic violence and abuse of adulterated alcohol condemn women to precarious work and poverty
LETHAL PATIENCE
Sikandar Ali who has just murdered his ex-wife has been taken into custody Saima a 24-year-old mother of 3 young children was shot 2 times in the body by her husband The scene took place inside the courthouse during a preliminary session before the judge to confirm the couple s separation Crimes of this kind inside the judicial courts are not uncommon in Pakistan At the end of January a father killed his daughter at the entrance of the court under the false pretext of honor killing The girl had left home 10 days earlier to get married She had been summoned to court to testify that she had acted of her own free will The father has just been acquitted
LETHAL PATIENCE
A wedding was organised for a girl living in a shelter She won t discover her future until after the marriage contract has been signed
LETHAL PATIENCE
In the big Empress Market butchers are cutting up pieces of meat
