Wednesday 13 February 2013

Small Small Thing | A Documentary Film

Synopsis: In December 2012, Olivia Zinnah died of complications from a rape injury when she was 7 years old. This is her story. “My administration shall empower Liberian women in all areas of our national life, We will support and increase the writ of laws that restore their dignity and deal drastically with crimes that dehumanize them. We will enforce, without fear or favor, the law against rape recently passed.” – Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (2005) President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her work in womens issues. Yet according to UN statistics in 2012, rape is still the #1 crime in Liberia, and the majority of the victims are children.  Médecins Sans Frontières in Liberia reports their youngest survivor at 21 months old. Small Small Thing begins at JFK Hospital in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, and urban center of this West African country.  Olivia is 9 years old, severely malnourished and handicapped. Her condition is life threatening. Believing her injuries to be the result of witchcraft, Olivia’s mother had been hiding her for years.  The doctors conclude her condition is the result of a brutal rape that took place when