UNAIDS releases new film about the importance of dialogue between parents and children around safe sex and HIV prevention

GENEVA, 11 October 2025-UNAIDS proudly presents, 'Ghotul,' a short film about a conversation between a daughter and her mother about how she met her father and how she navigated dating and relationships when she was younger.

The mother explains that she lived in a Ghotul. These were real institutions within the Muria and Gond tribes of India. They were youth dormitories where boys and girls lived and learned about social customs and sexuality in a culturally sanctioned setting.

In the film, the mother recalls her years in the Ghotul describing one boy as pushy while another was nervous. Her future husband, she explains, respected her and she felt listened to. The narrative highlights that what protects young women most is not silence, but safe spaces to learn, talk, and choose.

Longstanding gender inequalities, discrimination and poverty deny many women and adolescent girls' economic autonomy, depriving them of control over their sexual lives, and exposing them to the risk of emotional and bodily harm. These factors increase the risk of HIV, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV prevalence among adolescent girls and young women is more than three times higher than among their male counterparts.

More than 21 million adolescent girls aged between 15 and 19 become pregnant each year and every week 4000 adolescent girls become infected with HIV. This is why this year, on International Day of the Girl Child, UNAIDS is reiterating the importance of comprehensive sexuality education. Such education not only prevents HIV among adolescent boys and girls, it also reduces teenage pregnancy, and provides longer term benefits for young women, including better chances at decent work and economic growth.

"By knowing the facts and educating young people about their sexual health, we can help them feel safe and stay safe," said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director.

The film was the brainchild of advertising executive and feminist, Swati Bhattacharya.

"In the tribal wisdom, elders spoke freely with adolescents about love, desire, and growing bodies, not to shame them, but to guide them," she said. "Today, when young children often turn to the internet for answers, Ghotul reminds us of the need to bring those honest, caring conversations back into our homes.

Indira Tiwari, a leading Indian actress plays the mother while model and actor Puja Kulay stars as the daughter. Fascinated by her mother's account, the daughter looks dismayed saying, 'There are no more ghotuls.' Her mother smiles and answers, 'It exists, it has just shrunk in size,' while gesturing towards a box, suggesting that a safe space for exploring choices can still be reclaimed.

The story, 'Ghotul,' was written by Shruti Johri, a published author who works with tribal girls and their families through education projects in India. Shashanka 'Bob' Chaturvedi from Good Morning Films directed the 12-minute feature.

The film has garnered early support from prominent voices in cinema, like Guneet Moga, one of India's most acclaimed film producers. She has twice won the Academy Award for Best Short Documentary. Inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2018, she has been recognized globally as a trailblazing woman in entertainment and among the top 50 Indians changing India.

"Few films dare to enter the fragile space of love, desire, and agency with such dignity," Ms Moga said. "Ghotul reminds us that indigenous traditions once placed equality at the centre of adolescence by giving voice to girls, while also celebrating softer masculinities in boys. This is storytelling with courage, compassion, and cultural depth."

The video can be viewed in full here

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations-UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank-and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.