Sworn Virgins

Overview

In a mountainous area of Albania, an ancestral code of laws -- observed to this day -- placed women in the bottom rank of society. It dictates that "a woman is a sack, made to endure." A woman cannot choose her husband, buy or sell property or express herself politically. For centuries, on a bride's wedding day, her father gave the groom two bullets, to be used to kill his daughter in case she misbehaved and dishonored the clan. But there is a loophole. The ancient laws allowed certain women known as "Sworn Virgins" to take an oath in front of their clan, announcing their intention to remain virgins.