A free screening and conversation with the film's director, Grant Knisely.

In the brothels of India, young girls perish every day. Some die quickly from murder or suicide, others slowly from diseases like HIV/AIDS. Thousands of Nepali minors are forced to sleep with more than fifty men per day; they are locked into rooms or cages where they are beaten, starved, drugged, burned and raped by their captors and countless men who use and abuse them. The average age of a Nepali girl trafficked to India is 13 years old. A mere 1% of these sex slaves ever escape or get rescued.

It is estimated that more than 10,000 girls are trafficked from Nepal to India annually, cruelly driven over the border by force or lured by the false promise of work. This film explores the stories of the people most vulnerable to human trafficking, the "Untouchables" of society, specifically the Badi people of Nepal and the Dalits of India. At the bottom of the caste system, they are denied basic rights we take for granted every day— water, citizenship, education, and freedom. These Untouchables were once famously renamed Harjians—the Children of God—by Mahatma Gandhi in an effort to break their social curse.

Victims of sex trafficking and slavery rarely find help within the criminal justice systems of Nepal and India. Courageous young girls testify against their traffickers under constant threat and fear. The red light areas of India are dangerous, lawless places ruled by mafia and gangs. And yet despite these seemingly insurmountable odds, there is a growing number of abolitionists and social advocates raising their voices and taking action to help end this brutal form of modern day slavery.

Featuring rare footage from inside the brothels of India and exclusive interviews with survivors and those serving on the front lines, UNTOUCHABLE: CHILDREN OF GOD highlights stories of hope and the heroes risking their lives to rescue and protect these forgotten angels. Look into the eyes of young survivors as they share their stories and you will be touched by the untouchables.

About the director

Born in Ohio, Grant Knisely graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Mass Communications and a Minor in Digital Media Studies and Film / Video Production from the University of Denver and in 2000 he moved to London to continue his Acting and Film/Video production studies. In 2004, Knisely visited Haiti and was exposed to extreme poverty for the first time. His experiences there made a lasting impression and he became determined to do his part to bring world attention to the issue of social injustice.

Knisely has spent the past ten years living in Singapore and has participated in a variety of humanitarian missions. He has directed and produced three documentary films that have taken him to the frontiers of Nepal, Haiti, Sri Lanka and Timor Leste (East Timor). His current project involves sex trafficking between Nepal and India and plans to screen the documentary in Singapore and Nepal in late 2013.

UNTOUCHABLE: Children of God from Grant Knisely on Vimeo.

Run time: 63 min.