Difret. Learning from a story of child marriage

Difret dramatises the true story of Aberash Bekele, Hirut Assefa, in the movie, a 14-year-old Ethiopian girl who falls victim to a rural tradition of abducting children for marriage.After escaping from her abductor, Hirut was charged with murder but acquitted after a two-year trial. The title of the movie is very meaningful because in Amharic, the official working language of Ethiopia, difret means both rape and courage. In the movie, courage refers to the fearless behaviour of both Hirut, the first girl to respond to a deeply ingrained male-dominated social norm, and Meaza, the lawyer who volunteers to offer Hirut legal protection and advocate for bride kidnapping to become illegal in Ethiopia. Despite the legal changes, bride kidnapping is still a common practice in rural areas of Ethiopia, where patriarchal rules still apply. Child marriage is a violation of the basic rights of women and girls. This deeply entrenched practice not only perpetuates harmful gender stereotypes but also has a profound and far-reaching impact on the overall well-being, productivity, and economic independence of girls and women. These detrimental consequences extendthroughout their lives, from childhood through adolescence and adulthood to the nextgeneration through their children. Child marriage also has a significant economic impacton girls and the country as a whole. Early marriage hampers girls’ educational success,limiting their participation in productive sectors. Even when young brides manage to findeducation or employment, their opportunities are often hindered by domestic responsibilities, early pregnancies, related complications, maternal mortality and caring forthe children of young mothers. The movie Difret is a powerful tool for promoting socialchange. It is a story of courage and resilience and has the potential to inspire people to takeaction against child marriage. In this chapter, we first tell the story, which unfolds incaptivating and intense dialogue. We then propose an interpretation of the true storythrough the lens of a social scientist who endeavours to separate socio-cultural andeconomic factors that contribute to the persistence of child marriage. Finally, we ask whatmeasures - either field programmes or other movie industry products - can be effective inending illegal child marriage.