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By Anya Sharma | NEW DELHI – 2025/06/16 01:00:14
Two fathers who faced the potential loss of their daughters due to patriarchal oppression have joined forces for the #StandWithHer campaign.
Ziauddin Yousafzai, the father of Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, and Ranjit, whose daughter was a victim of a severe sexual assault in India, engaged in a discussion in New York this past March. Their conversation, centered on their experiences and efforts to challenge toxic masculinity, has been adapted into a short documentary released today on YouTube.
“One thing that you and I have in common,” Yousafzai said to Ranjit, “is that we are both known for our daughters. We’re identified because of them.”
dave Benett/Getty Images for National Portrait Gallery
Malala Yousafzai was only 15 when she was shot in the head by a taliban gunman in Pakistan for advocating for girls’ education. Kiran (a pseudonym), Ranjit’s daughter, was 13 when she was sexually assaulted in rural India. The Oscar-nominated documentary To Kill a Tiger highlights how Kiran’s parents, Ranjit and Jiganti, faced pressure from their community to marry their daughter to one of her attackers to salvage the family’s reputation.
Ranjit, Jiganti, and Kiran resisted this pressure and chose to pursue legal action against the perpetrators.
“If we force her into the bond of marriage, then it’s a big crime,” Ranjit told Yousafzai. “It would be so oppressive.”
Ranjit reflects, “As more and more men join together, I feel it will definitely have an impact on men and boys. If they understand that this injustice, like in the film[[To Kill a Tiger]was wrong, and to correct that wrong these people are taking action.”
Yousafzai adds, “I come back to what your daughter says in the film. ‘When people walk together, no one can stop them.’ We walked together, and this institution of the family…it is an agent of change, an informal one, but there’s no force more powerful than the family.”
Watch A Conversation Between Two fathers of Remarkable Daughters below. To Kill a Tiger is streaming on Netflix.
Understanding Patriarchy and Its Impact
“When people walk together, no one can stop them.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is patriarchy?
Patriarchy is a social system in which men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property.
what are the consequences of patriarchy?
Patriarchy frequently enough leads to the marginalization, oppression, and violence against women and girls, limiting their access to education, economic opportunities, and political representation.
What can be done to combat patriarchy?
Combating patriarchy requires a multi-faceted approach, including promoting gender equality in education, challenging harmful gender norms, advocating for legal and policy reforms, and supporting women’s leadership and empowerment.
