Recommendation: The Day My God Died
July 6th, 2006 by Zsofia
Directed by Andrew Levine, the Day My God Died is a feature-length documentary that presents the stories of young girls whose lives have been shattered by the child sex trade. They describe the day they were abducted from their village and sold into sexual servitude as “The Day My God Died.”
Narrated by Tim Robbins and Winona Ryder, the film provides actual footage from the brothels of Bombay, known even to tourists as “The Cages,” and weaves the stories of girls into a compelling examination of the growing plague of child sex slavery.
Through the film we come to know victims such as Gina, sold into sex slavery at age 7 and beaten with sticks and aluminum rods. Anita, lured by a friend then drugged and sold at age 12, was beaten and threatened that she would be buried alive. Girls are gang-raped, beaten and forced to service up to 20 clients a day as they are held in perpetual sexual servitude.
The film also introduces us to the heroes of the movement to abolish child sex slavery – non-profit organizations which rescue and care for former sex slaves. Some victims have emerged to form their own underground railway out of slavery. Maili, trafficked at 19 along with her infant daughter, risks her life to help other girls. We see Jyoti, sold at age 12, lead a raid on a brothel resulting in the rescue of seven girls and the arrest of two brothel owners.
Sexual servitude is a virtual death sentence. In Bombay alone, 90 new cases of HIV are reported every hour and the girls suffer an 80% HIV/AIDS infection rate. The Day My God Died documents the tragedy of child sexual slavery and profiles the courageous abolitionists that need our support.
The film cannot be bought through Amazon, but you can order it from the filmmaker himself. Link to the Day My God Died website and to the director’s notes.
