Here's a quotes from the film's official website explaining the title of the documentary:
"The girls describe it in terms of, 'the day that I was sold was the day my God died.'" -- Matt Friedman, international health professional and trafficking expert
In the Director's Notes:
There in front of me was a room, a room of lost innocence, a room of stolen youth. Thirty young girls and babies all returned from India. All dying of AIDS, all knowing they are dying of AIDS. Every emotion running through me. Should I cry? Should I scream? What should I do? --Journal Entry, April 20, 1999
There were so many stories of strength and resiliency. So many unanswered prayers and so many betrayals left unaccounted for. My hope is that we have created a film that begins to paint a picture of what human beings are capable of. It is a story of repeated betrayals and yet, it reminds us of how resilient the human spirit is and can be.
In the screening today, a lot of the audiences, including LF and me, were all tearful after watching how the the women were forced into sexual slavery. Seeing how the lives of the victims were destroyed, how the perpetrators remained scot-free, how the corrupted authority turned a blind eye to this injustice, and how the world is ignorant about (or simply ignore!) the extensiveness of this issue, it really made us think about our blessed life here and wonder how & what we can do to help. At the same time, we were touched and inspired by the strong women who were once victim themselves and now contribute their lives to fight against this hideous crime.
There will be another screening by UNIFEM in SG on 19th May, followed by a conversation session with Mrs. Anuradha Koirala, a social activist and founder and director of Maiti Nepal - a non-profit organization in Nepal dedicated to helping victims of sex trafficking, who was honored as CNN's Hero of 2010. I am considering attending it just to meet this inspirational lady.
This 50-min film is available at YouTube, and i would highly recommend everyone to take the time watching it.
Labels: volunteering
