Grades 10-12, College, Adult
Directed by Charlotte Metcalf
DVD Purchase $79, Rent $45
US Release Date: 1998
Copyright Date: 1998
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-878-3
VHS ISBN: 1-56029-761-1
Subjects
African Studies
Anthropology
Developing World
Gender Issues
Gender Studies
Human Rights
Humanities
Reproductive Rights
Social Change
Social Justice
Social Psychology
United Nations
Women's Studies
Young Wives' Tales
Ethiopia
Very early marriage threatens young girls' health and survival.
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"A wrenching depiction of... the marriage of very young girls." Timothy McGettigen, Wake Forest University |
Nibret is just 11 years old. She is being married to a man she has never met before - to cement family ties, secure property, and because there are no schools providing her with any other choice. What are her chances of surviving the experience?
Despite international treaties to protect women's and children's rights, recent statistics show that early marriage is on the increase in many parts of the world, with girls as young as eight or nine married off in areas of North and West Africa, the Sahel and Latin America. This increases exponentially the risk of complications from pregnancy and childbirth for girls whose bodies are not fully developed.
Other titles in the series are:
World of Difference - Introductory film about women and human rights.
Girls from Chaka Street - The break-up of the Soviet Union leaves some women with few options but prostitution.
House on Fire - Breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
Caught in the Crossfire - Plight of women in Fiji.
Reviews
"A wrenching depiction of the frightening consequences of cultural practices that encourage the marriage of very young girls."
Timothy McGettigen, author of "Utopia on Wheels"