On November 19, Stockton’s Alton Auditorium had an inspiring event for a few dozen students and staff members. One of the students who is a womens rights activist organized a showing of the film “Girl Rising”. Due to time restraints we were only able to watch the first half of the movie.

This movie was about different girls around the world who had common themes in their lives. The main theme throughout the film was the need for girls education, and other themes were young girls getting married, and sexual assault. The girl’s struggles varied from bonded labor, violent assaults, to severe poverty.

The most moving story was of a young girl named Suma who lived in Nepal. Her parents were too poor to take care of her so they made her live in a home with a couple who forced her into bonded labor. She had been with a few different families throughout her childhood who treated her like a slave. She endured the pain of the hard labor she was doing and coped by writing music. She is now freed and is working towards making sure this bonded labor of children will come to a stop.

Seeing this film was moving and made me realize how much I take for granted. Here in the United States most girls go to school and complain that they have to go. It truly makes me grateful that I not only got to have an elementary education, but now a continued higher education here at Stockton.

This film was able to move many people at Stockton and also, I’m sure, in other parts of the world. I am happy that I go to a school that exposes these global issues with dialog sessions. Hopefully the word about the injustices done to these girls will get out on a larger scale and something can be done about it.