 My head felt like a balloon—all I could do is lay in bed and be sick. A little debilitating, but in my state of congested swelled-headedness I somehow mustered the courage to watch a DVD that had been tempting me from the to-be-watched shelf for a while: Born Into Brothels.
The title alone conjures up unpleasant images, but surprisingly this film is incredibly uplifting and opens your mind to alternative ways of rescuing children that might otherwise be lost. The story began long before the film when Zana Briski worked on photographing the lives of women in Calcutta brothels. Then her attention shifted to the lives of the children.
Kids with Cameras
Briski started a foundation called Kids with Cameras and as the film unfolds, eight children being raised in brothels are chosen to participate in photography classes. Kids are kids; take them away from life in the brothels and they just want to have fun. Put a camera in their hands and it’s double the fun—and that’s what makes this documentary so captivating.
The children photograph their adventures around the city, to the ocean and even to the countryside. India is incredibly beautiful; it makes you wonder how their society can treat the women and children shown in this film so poorly. Then again, I feel the same way about Toronto, since I live in an area where there are many prostitutes, beggars and drug addicts. How can such remarkable places have such dark sides?
One amazing scene is when the kids are afraid of the needles used to have their blood tested for HIV. You would think that after living in a brothel, nothing would scare them. But no—needles are scary to any child…even some adults.
Calling attention to bride-burning
The most disturbing thing this film showed me is bride-burning, a Southeast Asian form of violence. Wives are doused with a flammable liquid and set aflame, most often in the kitchen of a home to make it appear accidental. Wilkipedia has this to say about the practice: “There are several reasons that may be cited by the husband and his family for bride-burning. These commonly include the failure of the wife’s family to provide what is seen as a large enough dowry, the wife's family falling behind on dowry payments, or the desire of the husband to rid himself of his wife without dishonoring himself.”
There appears to be little that the police are able to do about it, as most disgraced families don’t report these cases. Avijit, the child who became the most outstanding photographer in the group who was chosen to represent Kids with Cameras at the World Press photo exhibit in Amsterdam, lost his mother this horrific way.
All in all, I highly recommend this documentary and the accompanying special features. It’s a lesson taught most effectively through a child’s eyes that I won’t forget. I can’t imagine how much this experience must have changed directors Briski and Kauffman. Every day they must think about those children and all the others they are trying to help, as I do now as well.
How you can help
Born Into Brothels gives us a snapshot into the lives of children who sorely need our help. Kids with Cameras is still empowering children through the art of photography and offers many ways for people to help them. Purchase a photographic print taken by one of these brave kids, donate or see how you can become a volunteer by visiting kids-with-cameras.org/contribute today.
The book Born Into Brothels: Photographs by the Children of Calcutta by Zana Briski is also recommended.
Born Into Brothels (2003)
Documentary, rated R, 83 minutes
Directed by Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman
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