Docu on trafficked girls’ plight screened in city

Kolkata: The city’s first screening of Miriam Chandy Menacherry’s ‘From the Shadows’, a documentary on the #missingirls campaign, was held at Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute on Wednesday. The American Center will hold another screening later in the week.The documentary is helmed by an all-woman team. One of the biggest challenges for making a film on anti-trafficking is that the subject is not uncommon. “I felt trafficking was a distant reality until I saw the graffiti on the walls that said #missing #every8minutes. I focused on two cases, one where a girl managed to file a case against traffickers and another where a girl managed to get a conviction,” Menacherry said.In the documentary, there are two sets of women — Leena Kejriwal and Samina (name changed), and Hasina Kharbhih and Ella Sangma. For a few years, Kejriwal, an artist, has been spray painting silhouettes on public walls of Kolkata and tagging them #missing. “Samina chose us because, while shooting, she came back to file a case against her traffickers,” the director said.Kharbhih’s Impulse Model or Meghalaya model of collaboratively tackling the issue is recognised by organisations like the UN as being the most effective in tackling cases of trafficking. “Ella gave her testimony when 400 witnesses turned hostile, but also proudly shared her story and gave back to her community,” Menacherry said.