Stolen Childhoods (2005)

Synopsis: All around the globe, the raw materials for modern consumer capitalism are being created by unseen workers with neither rights nor a voice. Director Len Morris and cinematographer Robin Romano... All around the globe, the raw materials for modern consumer capitalism are being created by unseen workers with neither rights nor a voice. Director Len Morris and cinematographer Robin Romano traveled to eight countries over the course of seven years, collecting the tragic stories of child laborers, as well as the heroic, inspiring tales of people who struggle to help them. From an Indonesian boy trapped on a dismal fishing platform, to the tiny hands working the rug looms of India, Pakistan, and Nepal, the stories of horror are driven home by the haunted eyes of children much too young for such suffering. The tragedy is tempered by those who offer solutions and are engaged in bringing them to fruition, such as India's Kailash Satyarthi. Satyarthi founded the Bal Ahsram rehabilitation center, which has rescued over 40,000 children and given them new hope for the future. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) also provides a discerning take on the situation, while Kenyan environmentalist and the 2004 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize Wangari Maathai is a clear-eyed voice of international conscience. Narrated by Meryl Streep, the documentary uses its central topic to raise other issues of worldwide consequence, showing how child labor is related to problems with education, international debt, the African AIDS epidemic, and global capitalism. The children suffer from exposure to chemicals, physical strain, an improper nourishment, rest, and medical care. Ultimately, education is the best route to a solution, with multiple organizations attempting to pay school fees and otherwise get kids out of the fields and into the classroom. There remains much to be done, however, and in addressing this issue, these filmmakers have begun to show how audiences can have a part in ending the cycle of child labor. [More]

Director: Len Morris

Director: Len Morris
Screenwriter: Georgia Morris
Producer: Len Morris, Barbara Broccoli
Composer: Miriam Cutler