Independent Lens

A Path Appears - Episode One

Episode 1: "Sex Trafficking in the USA" Episode 1 focuses on survivors trafficked into a life of prostitution in the U.S., as well as effective programs that combat commercial sexual exploitation and restore lives. Nicholas Kristof joins Ashley Judd, Blake Lively, and Malin Akerman in Nashville, Boston, and Chicago to illuminate the widespread existence of crimes happening in our own backyard.

Half the Sky: Violence Against Women is a Global Epidemic

1m 41s

A group of experts and advocates describe the global epidemic of gender-based violence, which strips women of their autonomy and forces them to live in constant fear of physical retribution. The phenomenon can seem insurmountable in post-conflict countries like Sierra Leone, but extraordinary women like Amie Kandeh are nevertheless determined to bring an end to these rampant abuses.

Previews + Extras

  • Half the Sky: A Kenyan Restauranteur Flourishes Through Micr: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Half the Sky: A Kenyan Restauranteur Flourishes Through Micr

    S1 E1 - 2m 18s

    Olivia Wilde and Nick Kristof visit Joyce, a Kenyan woman who owns a restaurant in Nairobi. Joyce is a member of Jamii Bora, Kenya's largest microfinance organization and a powerful agent of change for the country's women. It provides loans to individuals, including former beggars, prostitutes, and the severely impoverished, who would be unable to pursue their ambitions without financing.

  • Half the Sky: One Girl's Long Road to School and Safety in S: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Half the Sky: One Girl's Long Road to School and Safety in S

    S1 E1 - 5m

    Agnes Libbi Smith lost her father during the civil war in Sierra Leone and her mother when she was 13 years old. Finding herself homeless, Agnes was physically abused and raped by a teacher who promised her an education. Finally breaking free and seeking help at the Rainbo Center with Amie Kandeh and the International Rescue Committee, Agnes hopes to become a doctor and help others.

  • Half the Sky: America Ferrera's Diary Cam Insights on India: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Half the Sky: America Ferrera's Diary Cam Insights on India

    S1 E1 - 5m 1s

    Follow America Ferrera along as she narrates her time in India through a diary cam. Ferrera talks about meeting the young girls who work with Urmi Basu to break the cycle of forced prostitution. Watch as Ferrera makes chapati with the girls and even learns to sew with some of the mothers.

  • Half the Sky: Sakena Yacoobi on Educating Women and Girls in: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Half the Sky: Sakena Yacoobi on Educating Women and Girls in

    S1 E1 - 5m 50s

    Sakena Yacoobi has made a difference in the lives of around 8.5 million people through the operation of learning facilities in Afghanistan over the course of twenty years. Sakena believes that, if properly equipped with the knowledge and confidence to act, the current generation of Afghani girls can fix the country's severe gender imbalances within just 5 to 10 years.

  • Half the Sky: Creating Hope within Africa's Largest Slum: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Half the Sky: Creating Hope within Africa's Largest Slum

    S1 E1 - 9m 52s

    Nick Kristof and Olivia Wilde venture through Nairobi to reach Kibera, one of the largest slums in the world. Here, Kennedy Odede and Jessica Posner have worked tirelessly to promote the cause of women, using schools, clinics, and community services to combat Kibera's extreme poverty and habitual neglect toward girls.

  • Half the Sky: Prostitution is the Absence of Choice: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Half the Sky: Prostitution is the Absence of Choice

    S1 E1 - 1m 40s

    Women and girls account for 80 percent of the people trafficked across international borders each year, most often for sexual exploitation. Stripped of their basic human rights, women and girls are bought and sold, generating an estimated $27.8 billion of profit for their exploiters.

  • Half the Sky: Breaking the Cycle of Oppression with Educatio: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Half the Sky: Breaking the Cycle of Oppression with Educatio

    S1 E1 - 1m 43s

    Gabrielle Union, Olivia Wilde, Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas Kristof discuss solutions to the most pressing problems facing women: maternal mortality, gender-based violence, sex trafficking and forced prostitution. Women are not the problem, they are the solution. Education and economic empowerment are the ladder to a better life for women, their families and communities.

WETA Passport

Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.