Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Born into brothels

"The men who enter our building are not so good.They are drunk, they come inside and shout and swear. "

"The woman asked me:" When are you going to join the line?" They say it won't be long."

"I keep thinking that if i could go some place else and get education, I wonder what I could become."

"We don't have the money to live, let alone for studies."

"One day I went to Puja's house and saw her dad was beating up her mom, I asked Puja about it, she said:"My mom didn't give money to my dad for his drinking, so he beat her."

"He smokes all day, but even then, I try to love him a little."

"One has to accept life as being sad and painful. That's all. "

In Calcutta's red-light district, there over 7,000 women and girls working as prostitutes. Often forced into the trade by poverty, abandonment or the rampant kidnapping business which transports young girls into the sex industry from Nepal and Bangladesh, they come from all castes. But they all descended the social scale to the status of pariahs, without any government protection.

Only one group, perhaps, has a lower standing: Their children. Living inside the rat-infested brothels, routinely beaten, made to work, to leave their rooms when their mothers have a customer, they are children without hope, without childhoods. The girls are often "turned out" as prostitutes by their own parents at the age of fourteen or younger, and the boys frequently become drug dealers or pimps. They are children alone in the world, without advocates.

Zana Briski, became involved in the lives of these children in 1997 when she first began photographing sex workers in Sonagachi. Living in the brothels for months at a time, she quickly developed a relationship with many of the kids who, often terrorized and abused, were drawn to the rare human companionship she offered. Photography helps to boost their self-esteem and confidence.

Fascinated by her camera, she let them shoot some pictures. It would be great, she thought, to see the world through their eyes. It was at that moment that she gave birth to the idea of offering a photographic workshop for the children of prostitutes. To do so would involve overcoming nearly insurmountable obstacles -- brothel owners, pimps, police, local politicians, mafiosi, and corrupt NGOs. "No one wants to empower the children. No one wants them to use a camera," Briski said.

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November 2007 – Zana Briski http://www.zanabriski.com/

When I first went to the brothels of Calcutta I had no idea what I was doing. Circumstances had led me there and I had a deep visceral reaction to the place. It was as if I recognized it on a very personal level.

It took me two years to get inside, to be able to live in a brothel. I knew this was the only way I would move from visitor to resident, to fully experience, as much as possible, what it was like for the women and children living there. It was a difficult but precious experience and one for which I will always be grateful. I had the opportunity to understand lives lived behind closed doors, to help — when it was asked of me — in any way I could, and to communicate powerful stories with the outside world.

It has been my dream, since the beginning of the project, to inspire others to feel, to notice, to challenge, to take action. Some of the most inspiring moments I have had are at screenings of Born into Brothels at schools across the country. American children are riveted by the kids from Calcutta. They connect with them through the film in a way only kids can. Kids want to share, to know more, to get involved. This is why I wanted to build a curriculum around the film, so that it can be a catalyst for awareness and change. Amnesty International, in partnership with Kids with Cameras, has made this happen. I am deeply grateful to them for this.

In the film I say that I am not a social worker, or even a teacher. I am someone who follows my heart and puts myself in the 'shoes' of others. This is something we all can do. You don't need to go to Calcutta to notice what is happening around you, who needs your compassion, be it an animal, a friend, a stranger.

After all, it is up to us to make the world a better place.

After earning a master's degree at the University of Cambridge, Zana studied documentary photography at International Center of Photography in New York. In 1995 she made her first trip to India, producing a story on female infanticide. In 1997 she returned to India and began her project on the prostitutes of Calcutta's red light district, which led to her work with the children of prostitutes. Zana has won numerous awards and fellowships including George Soros' Open Society Institute Fellowship, an Alicia Patterson Foundation Fellowship, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, the Howard Chapnick Grant for the Advancement of Photojournalism and first prize at the World Press Photo Foundation Competition.

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"I used to want to be a doctor.
Then I wanted to become an artist.
There is nothing called hope in my future. "
After got to learn photography, he said:"Now I want to be a photographer". Avijit, 19, began studying in the U.S. three years ago. He is currently finishing his senior year at a private high school. Over the past two summers, he has participated in prestigious film programs through the Sundance Institute and NYU Tisch. He plans to attend university in the U.S. this fall and is interested in studying both medicine and film. In the website, it is noted that he has been accepted into NYU.

Kochi, 16, stayed at the Sabera Home for Girls for five years. She has chosen to continue her studies in India and she will enroll in school this spring.



Manik, 16, and Shanti, 17, are both still studying at FutureHope, where they are doing very well. Zana:" Auntie teaches us so well that everything goes into our brain. We like doing photography so much that we forget to do our work!"I love Shanti's photos.




Puja and Gour are believed to still be living in the red-light district but have lost contact with Kids with Cameras. Gour's work:" Running" is used by the website. Gour:" want to show in pictures how people live in this city. I want to put across the behavior of man." The old man on the street is Puja's work. Puja is a bold girl to take pictures and got away from people's scolding. Few generations of her family, her great grandmom, grandma, mother are prostitutes. She dress well, and obviously not poor, but would lead to prostituition. The documentary mentioned that Puja's mother withdrew her from the school. I really don't understand why would her mother hope that her daughter to be stucked in the vicious cycle. Perhaps they simply get used to the prostitution life.

Watch this documetary "Born into Brothels" for free: 83 minutes film~ http://freedocumentaries.org/film.php?id=125 I have watched it last sunday night on Arts Central Channel(Singapore TV). It is a great documentary that one should not miss. For more information or make a donation to improve their life, please visit : http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/

(note: the writing above are mostly adapted from relevant website & documentaries. )

1 comment:

Mel said...

I've read an article about this in The Star awhile ago. Sad fact!