Guests
Christa
Stolle
Film: Der Himmel unter den Füßen
In Germany, rape within marriage was not punishable until 1997. Christa Stolle and TDF began to fight for the principle that no man may force his wife to have sex just because they are married to each other. They wrote letters to the Ministry of Justice, networked with other women's organizations, formulated possible legal texts and negotiated with lawyers. All with success: since 1997, rape in marriage has been punishable by law. This was one of the biggest successes in the work of TDF
Christa Stolle also struggled with the fact that women in Africa, Asia and many Arab countries had to endure such inhumanities as genital mutilation and forced marriage, even when they were still underage. Girls were not allowed to learn to read and write, female fetuses were aborted. Women, Stolle recalls, were "the Fourth World".
TERRE DES FEMMES is active worldwide against domestic and sexual violence, against genital mutilation, forced marriage and early marriage. The aim is to strengthen the rights of women around the world, so that they can participate equally in social life. For her courage and dedication, Christa Stolle was nominated for the Woman of Courage Award in 2012 and received the Federal Cross of Merit in 2013.