Sunday, February 5th, 2012...3:46 pm
BITAHR film forum
yesterday i went to see a movie at a film festival focusing on human trafficking and human rights that was created by the boston initiative to advance human rights (bitahr) and conveniently being held at the modern theatre by suffolk!
my friend allison is interning at bitahr and she had asked me if i could design some buttons for the volunteers to wear one on of the festival days. of course i said yes! and as a show of appreciation they gave me two tickets to two of the movies. i wasn’t able to make the movie on friday but my boyfriend christian and i went to the movie last night.
it was called very young girls, a documentary/exposé by rachel lloyd about child sexual exploitation in new york city. to be honest, i really didn’t know a lot about the issue before i went. i’d never really looked into the issues surrounding prostitution, especially in the states (it’s always one of those things you hear about happening in south east asia or somewhere far away), so to say this movie was eye-opening for me is an understatement.
rachel lloyd, herself a survivor of the sex industry, created this program called GEMS (girls educational and mentoring services) to help girls get out of the life and move on to continue their education or get a job. the movie focuses on not only life in GEMS, but the girls’ struggles to not return to their pimps and create a new life for themselves. the movie is terribly sad as you see the girls struggle with their love and hate for their pimp but incredibly inspiring when you see a girl succeed in moving on, appreciating herself and finding a healthy, happy relationship (one of the girls gets married!!).
i was on the edge of tears the entire time. especially to know that all of that is happened a mere 4 hours away from here, and in actuality is probably happening in areas of boston that i don’t know about.
there was a discussion panel after the movie with rachel lloyd, a graduate of GEMS, rhea, a harvard doctor and an art/political activist. the questions and the conversation that followed was just as interesting as the movie because we not only talked about the events of the movie, but also the political, cultural and psychological influences that contribute to sexual exploitation and it’s status/perception in society. i learned so much in the three hours that i was there than i think i had even know about this facet of human rights. i am so grateful that i got to take a small part in the dialogue about something so important and so pressing in our world today. no one should have to feel like and be a slave to another human. not this time. not in my backyard.
check out the bitahr website here.