by Nicola Yeeles – UK– Priyanka* is a soft-spoken, gently rounded 46-year-old Sri Lankan Tamil woman with a friendly manner. She is training to be a church minister, but her life was not planned this way. In the 90s Priyanka …
Dowry Tradition Prevails in Sri Lanka, Preys on Women Read more »
by Lerato Manyozo –Malawi– Even before we begin talking, Kheliwe* has tears in her eyes. She is HIV positive and still battling to come to terms with the fact that her husband, now deceased, infected her on her matrimonial bed. …
Kheliwe’s Story: Male Polygamy and HIV Infection in Malawi Read more »
by Kavita Bedford –Australia– The taxi driver laughed, showing all his teeth. “Yes. Just one month ago I helped my friend Janedi* kidnap his wife,” he said. “Sorry, what do you mean kidnap?” I stammered, not sure whether this word …
The Rice Barn is Empty: Practices of Stealing and Divorcing Women in Lombok Read more »
by Urmila Chanam –India– I had heard about the prevalence of child marriage in India, but Nikita, 11, personalized the institution for me. I met her in a government school in the remote village of Doodiya, eight kilometers from Indore, …
As I Remember Her: A Story of a Child Bride in India Read more »
by Nusrat Ara –Indian-administered Kashmir– Shazia Akhtar and her family have been preparing for months for her wedding. The family has saved for years for the big day. With marriages in Kashmir getting more expensive, the burden seems to be …
by Rita Banerji –India– I am on a Google alert for “dowry,” a practice that is recognized as one of the underlying causes of India’s female genocide/gendercide. Recently there was an avalanche of ‘dowry’ alerts as Indian and foreign media …
Facebook Game ‘Angry Brides’ Trivializes Grave Human Rights Violation Read more »
by Jessica Mosby –USA– Charlie Barker is a guy who has it all – almost. He has a beautiful successful wife, a large New York City apartment, a loyal best friend, and a once-promising acting career that he is hoping …
Filmmaker Amy Glazer on the New Economics of Marriage and Seducing Charlie Barker Read more »
by Vera von Kreutzbruck – Argentina/Germany – Last winter film director Lisa Cholodenko came to Berlin to present The Kids Are All Right at the International Film Festival. Dressed in black with short dark hair and thick-framed glasses Cholodenko is …
Kids with Same-Sex Parents are All Right: A Conversation with Lisa Cholodenko Read more »
by Brittany Shoot – Denmark – Migrant communities in Denmark are a subject fraught with debate. As South Asian women increasingly immigrate to Scandinavia, stricter laws have been enacted to discourage the practice of convenience marriages. Rumors about abuse in …
From Denmark with Love:An Interview with Filmmaker Janus Metz Read more »
by Cathy Oerter – USA – I ran through the Iowa countryside, young and carefree, unaware of the life I had been richly blessed with. It was just me and the breeze and the green methodical cornfields. The gravel roads, …
Rows of Opportunities: Art of the Olympians Is Planting the Seeds of Excellence Read more »