Holding Our Ground focuses on one of the most contested of the agreements hammered out in Cairo: reproductive rights. The right of both women and men to decide freely if and when to get married, and if, when and how often to have children, was enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights over 50 years ago. But 10 years after the Cairo agreement, it's still far from universally acknowledged. The program features reports from: the Philippines, now at the epicenter of the battle over efforts to restrict information on, and access to, family planning; Latvia, where taboos surrounding the subject of sex still hamper efforts to provide information for adolescents; Japan, where the falling birthrate is focusing attention again on the problems of childcare for working women; and finally India, where - despite laws designed to protect the girl child - the practice of female infanticide, and its horrendous repercussions, appears to be growing. Thoraya Obaid, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund, describes why reproductive health and rights are critical for development worldwide.
'The importance of these films is that they are intended to raise awareness about global issues in young people, and can be used by anyone for this purpose. The quality of the films is excellent. They are documentaries about the U.N. Millennium Development Goals and include brief interviews with people who are actually involved in MDG programs, from various institutions and from the grassroots to executive level...The objective evidence about the current global crisis of insecurity, poverty, gender inequalities, environmental degradation, and lack of international cooperation is presented in a way that is both realistic and non-inflammatory.
Children are the future. Educational materials such as the Bullfrog Films are very important for the future of both humanity and the human habitat...The Bullfrog Films certainly can and should be shown to children, especially to high school students. But these films are most appropriate for those who prepare the children for responsible citizenship, including global citizenship. They are certainly appropriate for parents who want their children to know about the need for human solidarity and environmental sustainability. And, they are most appropriate for training teachers to plant the seed of global concerns in their students' minds and hearts.' Luis Gutierrez, Editor, Solidarity, Sustainability, and Non-Violence Research Newsletter
Citation
Main credits
Tatham, Di (film producer)
Cilinska, Antra (film director)
Sioco, Christopher (film director)
Saijo, Michie (film director)
Chowdhury, Poojita (film director)
Kumar, Radhika (film director)
Despande, Nikhil (film director)
Kelly, Brenda (film producer)
Richards, Jenny (consultant)
Alksne, Sandra (editor of moving image work)
Zemitis, Andris (editor of moving image work)
Bower, Dick (film producer)
Andoh, Adjoa (narrator)
Other credits
Editors, Sandra Alksne, Andris Zemitis; series producer, Dick Bower; producer, Di Tatham.
Distributor subjects
Anthropology; Asian Studies; At-risk Youth; Childbirth/Parenting; Community; Developing World; Education; Europe; European Studies; Global Issues; HIV/AIDS; Health; Human Rights; Humanities; India; Japan; Millennium Development Goals; Population; Reproductive Rights; Social Justice; Sociology; United Nations; Urban Studies; Women's Studies
Keywords
women, women's studies women's rights, women's health, health, reproductive rights, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ; Philippines, Latvia, Japan, India, birthrate, childcare, contraception, infanticide, Thoraya Obaid, UN Population Fund, UNPF, Asian Studies, European Studies, HIV/AIDS; "Reel to Real: Holding Our Ground"; Bullfrog Films
Distributor: Bullfrog Films
Length: 23 minutes
Date: 2005
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 7-12, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
Please log in to your public library's site to view this film.