India: A Dangerous Place to Be a Woman 2014
Distributed by Films Media Group, 132 West 31st St., 17th Floor, New York, NY 10001; 800-257-5126
Produced by Ashok Prasad and BBC
Directed by Ashok Prasad
DVD, color, 53 min.
High School - General Adult
Human Rights, Women’s Health, Women’s Rights
Date Entered: 09/24/2015
Reviewed by Sara Parme, Digital Services Librarian, Daniel A. Reed Library, SUNY FredoniaThis BBC documentary looks at India’s response to the 2012 beating, gang rape and torturing of 23-year-old female medical intern, Jyoti Singh Pandey, on board a bus in Delhi. Three months after the attack, 28-year-old British Asian Radha Bedi visits Delhi, India’s rape capital, to see for herself the daily reality of Delhi’s women.
The tragedy inspired mass protests and major changes in the legal system. Bedi visits an orphanage for abandoned baby girls, talks to activists, U.N. workers, and her own family. India examines arranged marriages, sex selection, dowries, eunuchs, and acid attacks. All trying to answer Bedi’s central question: “Why is it such a burden to be a girl?”
The film is thoughtful and asks vital questions about women’s safety and sexual violence (an inquiry that could be made of any country). Despite the upsetting subject matter, Bedi is a skilled guide through it all. She doesn’t shy away from the horror -- she vulnerably reports her own assault and takes the man to court -- but she also embraces the love and support women are getting from their families and friends.