Powerful New Film Sheds Light On Sexism Trapping Millions Of Young Girls In Extreme Poverty
Spot directed by Joanna Bailey.
To mark International Day of the Girl (October 11), anti-poverty group The ONE Campaign, and award-winning creative agency Don’t Panic, have joined forces to release a powerful new video ‘When I Grow Up...’, to highlight the fact that millions of girls are denied the future of their choice because poverty is sexist. Girls are asked the age-old question “what are you going to be when you grow up”? The answers begin as expected, but quickly turn to reflect the harsh reality for girls in the world’s poorest countries.
The video, produced by Snapper Films and directed by Joanna Bailey, is part of ONE’s Poverty is Sexist campaign demanding world leaders to invest in the world’s poorest women and girls, ensuring they are not left out of the global push for gender equality.
“No girl wants a future where she’s denied an education, infected with HIV, or married off as a child, but this is the reality for too many girls living in extreme poverty,” said Roxane Philson, Chief Marketing Officer at ONE. “Until these barriers are broken, millions of girls in the world’s poorest countries are being denied the right to build the future they choose. This cannot go on - sexism is unacceptable - poverty can make it a death sentence.”
“We felt like we needed a hard-hitting approach to bring the horrible reality home and, seeing young girls answering this question in a brutally honest way, was a straightforward way to do this,” said Joe Wade, Managing Director at Don’t Panic. “Every girl should have the same opportunities as every boy, so I felt especially strongly that we needed to adopt a riskier creative approach to get the world talking about this issue now.”
Every year, 340,000 girls and young women will be infected with HIV. Every day, 33,000 girls become child brides. Right now, 130 million girls are being denied an education. These are just some of the factors that are holding millions of girls and young women back, and stopping them from choosing their own future.
After watching the video, viewers are asked to join the Poverty is Sexist campaign by signing the Poverty is Sexist open letter - calling on world leaders to fight for a world where every girl has the chance to build the future she chooses.
