Slaughter House - Afghanistan

Dec 2001 Just half an hour out of Herat is a Place where victory over the Taliban meant nothing. It resembles a small city carved from mud - the population somewhere between 150,000 and 300,000. The road to Maslakh will be closed soon -- if it snows heavily this winter, those who didn't make the perilous journey from the provinces face starvation. For Allam Farouk's family, the journey may not have been worth it. Their four year old son has just been buried at Maslakh. The possibility of a measles epidemic looms and extensive malnutrition increases vulnerability to infection. At the transit centre, they are handing out blankets and water bottles to new arrivals -- this will allow them to survive their first few weeks. But lack of a proper registration system is causing problems -- the food agencies don't know who's a genuine newcomer and who's fraudulently applying for more material aid. In the camp, and in Herat, there's a ready market for those who've manipulated the system. Officials are so frustrated that they are thinking of starting from scratch and re-registering every single person in the camp. The crisis is only going to become more acute. To what extent can international aid provide effective relief ? Produced by ABC Australia Distributed by Journeyman Pictures