International Girl Child Day: 5 movies that explore problems faced by young women

International Day of the Girl Child is observed on October 11 to raise awareness about the gender inequality that girls face across the world and support human rights that can help young women reach their true potential. International Day of the Girl Child, also known as the Day of Girls and International Girl Child Day, was instituted on October 11, 2012. This year, as it celebrates its 10th anniversary, the theme for IDG is ‘Our Time Is Now — Our Rights, Our Future.’

Girls across the world are victims of sexual violence, gender-based discrimination, female infanticide and other issues that International Day of the Girl Child aims to raise awareness on. Access to education, safe spaces and menstrual hygiene products is still limited for many young women worldwide. Here are 5 films that explore the problems faced by young women:

Pad Man

Across the world, even today, many young girls do not have access to safe menstrual hygiene products. The stigma and taboo associated with menstruation is another issue that exacerbates this problem. Pad Man, the 2018 biographical film starring Akshay Kumar, is based on the life of activist Arunachalam Muruganantham, who created a low-cost sanitary pad to start a ‘hygiene revolution’ in India.

He Named Me Malala

This inspiring documentary tells the story of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager who was shot by a Taliban gunman in 2012 for speaking out against the organisation’s opposition to girls’ education. In the years since her attack, Malala has gone on to become a powerful voice campaigning for girls’ right to education and a Nobel Peace Prize winner. He Named Me Malala is a 2015 American documentary film by Davis Guggenheim that tells the story of this courageous young woman and her fight for women’s rights.

Secret Superstar

Secret Superstar is a 2017 movie starring Zaira Wasim and Aamir Khan that talks about how patriarchy prevents young girls from reaching their true potential. This emotional coming-of-age film also explores the themes of domestic abuse.

Little Miss Sunshine

This highly-acclaimed 2006 film takes a look at issues like body image, the exploitative nature of beauty pageants and sexualisation of young girls. With the rise of social media apps like Instagram that have been shown to contribute to body image issues in girls, Little Miss Sunshine is today more relevant than ever.

Ajji

Ajji, released in 2017, is a Hindi-language revenge drama that puts the spotlight on the disturbing issue of sexual violence against the girl child. Ajji follows the story of a grandmother who takes matters into her own hands after her granddaughter is raped.