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Contact: Joel Schwartzberg
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On October 12, the PBS weekly newsmagazine, NOW, travels around the world for a revealing exploration of child marriage in developing countries, and how people can act locally and globally to solve the problem. An estimated 100 million girls will be married over the next 10 years, and the hour-long special, "Child Brides: Stolen Lives" marks the first time the subject has been documented in a primetime television newsmagazine. Countries visited include Niger, India and Guatemala.

In the program, Senior Correspondent Maria Hinojosa takes viewers on a journey of sorrow, healing and hope, including scenes of an illegal midnight wedding in India where children as young as three are married. In each country, Hinojosa reports on the work of brave community members who are campaigning to end the centuries-old practice of child marriage - sometimes putting their own lives at risk.

Child brides typically experience high rates of childbirth complications, HIV infection and partner violence. Child marriage also traps families in a cycle of poverty.

"Child marriage is today what female genital mutilation was 10 years ago —a global issue affecting millions of girls and women, yet one few people are talking about," said Hinojosa, an award-winning reporter who found her role to be both a professional and personal journey of a lifetime. "I was moved and inspired by the people I met working at the community level to bring an end to this practice."

The child marriage special follows Hinojosa's groundbreaking style of reporting that consistently goes behind the headlines and puts a human face of hope on the issue.

Because education has the potential to delay early marriage, NOW is partnering with Girls Learn International to connect U.S. teen girls with girls' schools in countries with high rates of child marriage. They will raise money for the schools featured in the program, send supplies and participate in cross-cultural exchanges.

"Child Brides: Stolen Lives" was produced by Amy Bucher. Full credits include Senior Correspondent Maria Hinojosa, Senior Producer Lesley Norman, and Executive Producer John Siceloff. The production team consulted extensively with experts on the subject in the development of the film. The International Center for Research on Women and the Population Council provided invaluable assistance.

The funding for "Child Brides: Stolen Lives" was provided by the Nike Foundation and the United Nations Population Fund provided outreach funding.

ABOUT NOW

Called "one of the last bastions of serious journalism on TV" by the Austin American-Statesman, the Emmy-winning PBS weekly newsmagazine NOW engages viewers with documentary segments and insightful interviews that probe the most important issues facing democracy, including media policy, corporate accountability, civil liberties, the environment, money in politics, and foreign affairs. Hosted by award-winning veteran journalist David Brancaccio, NOW is a production of JumpStart Productions, LLC, in association with Thirteen/WNET New York. The show can also be accessed through On-Demand television, audio podcasting, video podcasting, and streaming video on the NOW website at www.pbs.org/now.