To mark the International Day of the Girl Child, the United Nations, the Mission of Canada to the European Union, and the European Week of Action for Girls screened ‘Girl Unbound’.
In the Taliban controlled area of Waziristan (Pakistan), where sports for women are decried as un-Islamic, and girls rarely leave their houses, young Maria Toorpakai defies the rules by disguising herself as a boy, so she can play sports freely. As she becomes a rising star, however, her true identity is revealed, bringing constant death threats on her and her family.
For more information on the film, click here.
Introduction by the Ambassador of Canada to the EU, Dan Costello.
The film was followed by a panel discussion with:
- Neil Datta, Secretary of the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development;
- Mary Wanjiku, Youth Activist from Nairobi;
- Nadine Krysostan, Programme Coordination and Liaison Specialist, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA);
- Moderated by Carlos Jimenez Renjifo, United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNRIC).