Young girls force-fed for marriage in Mauritania | Unreported World

Overview

In Mauritania, the documentary episode follows 11-year-old girls Monet and Hendu as they are “force-fed” (gavage) to rapidly gain weight. The goal is to help them appear wealthier, older, and more beautiful—traits believed to increase their chances of getting married.

The practice is described as widespread in rural areas, driven by a combination of poverty, drought, and social pressure. The film links it to household economics (a married daughter may mean fewer mouths to feed) and to beauty ideals (extra weight and an earlier-looking, puberty-like appearance).

How the Feeding Is Conducted

The documentary shows the girls being weighed for health checks, then moved into a feeding routine during the rainy season, when food is more available.

• Tah, Monet’s mother (described as a former force-feeder), leads the process in a special tent.
• Each girl drinks liters of sweetened camel milk, followed by meals such as porridge and couscous.
• Meal sizes escalate over time to extreme levels—about 9,000 calories per day, far above medical recommendations for children of their age.
• Some feeding continues across multiple days, reaching about 16,000 calories per day by the end of the season (as described in the subtitles).
• The girls report severe effects, including nausea, exhaustion, bloating, thirst, and stomach pain.
• The process is depicted as physically grueling, taking hours per meal.

Expansion to Younger Children

A major thread of the report goes beyond Monet and Hendu, describing force-feeding of even younger children in nearby camps—girls under 10.

It depicts feeders intentionally training children to keep eating even when they feel unwell, including accounts of forcing children to make themselves sick to continue the feeding.

The documentary frames this as severe child abuse, while also noting that there is no specific law prohibiting it.

Weight-Gain Drugs

The report also investigates the use of weight-gain drugs.

• A feeder requests medications, and Tah indicates she has access to drugs intended to increase weight.
• The reporter investigates in the capital, where the film portrays pharmacies and markets as openly selling medicines marketed for weight gain and metabolic effects.

The subtitles cite examples such as:

• Dexamethasone (described as affecting metabolism)
• Cyproheptadine (an antihistamine associated with weight-gain side effects)

The documentary emphasizes serious risks, including:

• heart attacks
• kidney failure
• major complications

It includes accounts of harm, such as:

• a sister who died after being given a steroid meant for animals
• a child who suffered dangerous side effects

Although official statistics are presented as limited, the film suggests drug use is widespread and normalized for appearance-related goals.

Social Context and Impact

The documentary’s commentary links both force-feeding and the drug trade to a broader social system in which women’s “biggest power” is portrayed as being beautiful. Being fat is treated as the path to marital prospects and perceived value, leading families to accept extreme harm to children.

Presenters / Contributors Mentioned

• Monet
• Hendu
• Tah (Monet’s mother; described as a former force-feeder)
• Fatimatu (Hendu’s mother)
• Abu Bakri (leader of a group)
• Abdulahi (Fatimatu’s father)
• Miriam (mother of Eza)
• Isad (referenced in connection with a death after drug use)
• Aminu (said to be using the same drug after her sister’s death)
• Eza (child harmed)
• Zabu (child mentioned)
• Zahra (child mentioned)
• Breha (child mentioned)
• Sahar Shmaku
• Sahar Shmaku’s group/feeder (as labeled in subtitles)
• “I” (the undercover journalist/filmmaker narrating the investigation)