Woman with Sword opens the 2016-2017 season this September by traveling to Costa do Sauípe, Brazil for a day-long conference about child, early and forced marriage (CEFM).
You may be aware of the Girls Not Brides project. It provides comprehensive information on the topic of CEFM. Briefly:
CHILD MARRIAGE FACTS
- More than 700 million women alive today were married before their 18th birthday. That is the equivalent of 10% of the world’s population.
- If there is no reduction in child marriage, an additional 1.2 billion girls will be married by 2050.
- Some child brides are as young as eight or nine.
- Most adolescent pregnancies (90%) take place within marriage.
- Pregnancy and childbirth complications are among the leading causes of death in girls aged 15 to 19 in low- and middle-income countries.
Last year, the United Nations Human Rights Council unanimously adopted a resolution co-sponsored by over 85 States to strengthen efforts to prevent and eliminate child, early and forced marriage.
Sponsored by CARE and American Jewish World Services and organized by GreeneWorks, this conference will gather human rights advocates from Nigeria, India, Guatemala. Lebanon, and Brazil. To support their work together, Woman with Sword will offer an immersive experience in theatre and dialogue that combines expert testimony, traditional learning methods, and movement to deepen an audience’s understanding about a topic of concern. I’m confident that these elements will prove to be powerful catalysts:
Because the UN has made this issue a priority, we will learn about efforts from around the globe to address CEFM with positive impact on communal health, economic prosperity, and educational opportunities.
Because the exploitation of CEFM rests in the body, we will tap our kinesthetic intelligence.
Because CEFM squelches the potential of women, girls and entire societies, we will use our imaginations to envision new possibilities.
Because sexuality is a hard issue to talk about, we will practice talking about it.
This opportunity to explore a pressing global concern at an international conference will stretch Woman with Sword’s potential as a mode of witness and exchange. Meanwhile I’m working to keep my troupe busy right here in Washington DC where so many people work as educators, policy makers and advocates. If YOU know of a setting or audience that needs Woman with Sword, please be in touch and/or pass this email along to a colleague.
Thank you for your support ~ Margot Greenlee