Ep 5. Opium Brides

In Frontline season 30 episode 5, titled Opium Brides, the show explores the devastating impact of Afghanistan's opium trade on young women and girls. The episode begins with an overview of the country's opium industry, which is responsible for producing over 80% of the world's heroin. Viewers are then taken on a journey through the lives of Afghan women who have been forced into marriage as a result of the opium trade.

The show introduces viewers to several women who were either sold by their families or kidnapped as children and forced to marry drug traffickers. These "opium brides" are often treated as commodities and subjected to physical and emotional abuse, with little or no legal protection from the Afghan government. One woman even describes being forced to have her teeth knocked out by her husband so that she couldn't run away.

The episode also highlights the toll that the opium trade takes on Afghanistan's children. Many of these girls are denied an education and are forced to work on poppy farms, where they risk exposure to toxic pesticides and other dangers. Some are even used by drug traffickers as mules, transporting heroin across the border into neighboring countries.

Throughout the show, Frontline journalists interview local experts, including human rights activists, lawyers, and government officials, to get a better understanding of the opium trade and its impact on Afghan society. They also speak with women who have managed to escape their marriages and are now fighting for justice for themselves and others like them.

Opium Brides is a powerful and emotional episode of Frontline that shines a light on one of the most pressing humanitarian crises in the world today. Through personal stories and expert analysis, the show provides a nuanced and heartbreaking look at the devastating toll that the opium trade takes on Afghan women and girls, and on the country as a whole.