For all the ways the Internet has brought different cultures closer together–or at least delivered the opportunity for greater exposure–it remains a shockingly diverse world. There is perhaps no more telling example of this than the stories of girls around the globe–and what their lives are like.
Rebecca Barry’s stunning 2013 film I Am a Girl tells the wildly different stories of six girls from various corners of the globe–Afghanistan, Australia, Cambodia, Cameroon, Papua New Guinea, and the US. Yes, one girl sells her virginity at the age of 12. Sounds horrifying until you consider it in light of the huge number of girls around the world who simply have their virginity robbed from them. When a transaction for virginity seems the better option, it starts to become clear what kind of world many girls grow up in. Rebecca Barry tells six tough stories that give a glimpse of this–and of the common thread of humanity that even in the most dire circumstances manifests itself as hope.
