Fairfield University in partnership with The Connecticut Council of Vital Voices Global Partnership will present a screening of the Emmy Award-winning documentary, "The Selling of Innocents," followed by a discussion with Director Ruchira Gupta, on Monday, Sept. 24 at 5 p.m. in The Kelley Center on the Fairfield campus. A reception will follow. This program is free and the public is welcome.

In a career spanning 21 years, Ruchira Gupta has worked as a journalist, activist and policy-maker on issues related to violence against women and children. She is the founder of Apne Aap, a grassroots organization of over 1,000 women and children trapped in or at risk of prostitution in India's red-light areas and slums.

"The Selling of Innocents" was awarded the Emmy by the United States Academy for Television Arts and Sciences in 1997 for outstanding investigative journalism. It has since been used by organizations, activists, and government agencies as educational material to combat human trafficking.

The event is co-sponsored by Fairfield University's Center for Faith and Public Life, College of Arts and Science's English Department, Honors Program, and Women's Studies Program. For more information, please contact Ms. Linda Miller (203) 254 4000 ext. 2810 or Professor Gita Rajan: grajan@mail.fairfield.edu at Fairfield University. Or, please contact Dr. Roberta Cooper of Vital Voices at (203) 227-8973 or robertacooper@optonline.net.

Vital Voices Global Partnership grew out of the United States government's successful Vital Voices Democracy Initiative, established after the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing to promote the advancement of women as a U.S. foreign policy goal. Created as a nonprofit non-governmental organization (NGO) in June 2000, Vital Voices continues the work of advancing women's economic, political and social status around the world, by providing skills, networking and other support to women.

Posted On: 09-10-2007 10:09 AM

Volume: 40 Number: 33