Documentaries

Domestic slavery is a reality for hundreds of thousands of girls in Tanzania. The documentary, produced by CNN International in cooperation with the Kulczyk Foundation, tells the story of Mercy Esther – a girl who as a child was taken from her native village in Tanzania and forced to work as a domestic servant in Kenya. Mercy Esther was never paid for her work, she was beaten and deprived of an opportunity to gain education. At the age of 16, Mercy Esther managed to escape, and found refuge with the Tanzanian organization WoteSawa. Its leader, Angela Benedicto, was herself a victim of domestic servitude and now dedicates her life to saving girls who, like Mercy Esther, have experienced modern-day slavery.

Troubled Waters is a joint documentary by Dominika Kulczyk and CNN International exploring the fight against modern-day slavery in Ghana. The documentary presents a unique account of saving children who have been forced into slavery at Lake Volta, and shares the shocking testimony of a child slave dealer and a parent who decided to sell their own child. It is estimated that in the region around Lake Volta, one of the largest artificial water reservoirs in the world, over 20,000 children are being forced into work. In this episode, Dominika joins local NGO PACODEP (Partners in Community Development Programme), rescuing a dozen children from slavery and helping them into shelter.

Stolen Son tells the story of the disappearance of Mohamed Faisal – a 12-year-old Rohingya refugee. The documentary was created to bring the world's attention back to the struggles of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Over a million Rohingya people have lived there in difficult conditions for two years, often under the threat of human trafficking.

In Senegal, there are 100,000 children who are condemned to daily slave labor, humiliation, beating, and hunger at illegal Quranic schools. Teachers, called marabouts, exploit their students, forcing them to beg in the streets. The children are required to collect a certain amount of money every single day else they face being beaten. In this documentary, Dominika Kulczyk, together with the CNN International team, visited the Senegalese city of Saint-Louis and the organization Maison de la Gare. The organization is run by Issa Kouyate - a social worker who helps children forced to beg on the streets. The Kulczyk Foundation supports his organization to help children who have fallen victim to modern-day slavery.

Silk Slaves explores how as many as 8 million people around the world are ensnared by bonded labour and what the practice entails within the country’s booming silk industry. The documentary follows the story of the victims of bonded labour who work twelve hours a day in factories in extreme conditions, in fear of the person they are indebted to. We also witness their attempt to navigate the legal route to freedom, and meet the representatives of Jeevika, an organisation working to identify bonded labourers and help them to file applications for their release and rehabilitation.