Gedwongen Geloften

Documentary about sexual violence and forced marriage, focusing on women who were coerced, abducted or imprisoned by their own families. Central figure is Dutch-Pakistani human rights activist Shirin Musa (Femmes for Freedom), tirelessly fighting for their rights.  

Many women from the Netherlands are literally imprisoned within their marriage. They were taken abroad and forced into marriages against their will – often accompanied by confinement, threats, and rape. When they seek help from Dutch embassies to return home and reclaim their rights, many are turned away or dismissed. Now they are cut off from the outside world and the only contact they have is with family members who were also raised in the tradition of forced marriage – and from whom they can’t expect much help.  

Dutch-Pakistani human rights activist Shirin Musa (founder of the organisation Femmes for Freedom) tirelessly fights for the rights of these women. She works for women trapped abroad, and in the Netherlands she tries to convince policymakers to adopt new legislation to protect women and girls in precisely these situations. In this documentary, the gripping stories of a Somali, Turkish and an Afghan woman, and a woman from the Dutch Reformed community, are portrayed by actresseswho embody their accounts as faithfully as possible.