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Born into brothels essay
Born into brothels essay
Born into brothels essay
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This paper examines the criticisms on the highly acclaimed documentary Born Into Brothels directed by Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman. This film follows Briski’s attempt to save a group of children from Sonagachi by teaching photography and efforts of registering these children into boarding schools. This paper is divided in two major sections; the first portion discusses whether or not it is essential to remove these children from their homes in order to rescue them from their lives in the red light district in India. The second portion of this paper examines what this documentary reveals overall about the politics of saving children from other cultures. Sonagachi is India’s red light district, which raises a lot of concerns for the children living in this city. This documentary is praised for its magnificent visuals, the children’s charm and the heartwarming tale of Briski’s outreach endeavours however; this film is also criticized on several counts. The following portion of this paper discusses critiques on the film as well as argues that removing the children from Sonagachi is not a necessity but instead there should be a stronger focus on solutions for the community as a whole.
This section of the paper discusses Partha Banerjee’s criticisms to the film and argues the potential of the film to take a more activist role in working towards a communal solution rather than removing the children from Sonagachi. Partha Banerjee wrote a letter regarding the documentary Born Into Brothels to AMPAS, which is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, this group organizes the Oscars. This documentary highlights Briski’s commendable outreach work however; it fails to recognize the efforts put in by the residents of Sonagachi and it i...
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... of the people who reside in Sonagachi to work towards a communal solution rather than removing the children from their homes in attempts to rescue them. The second part discusses the film’s overall say about the politics of saving children from other cultures and it challenges the suggestion that the only solution is the aid from westerners to save these children from their situation. Born Into Brothels is a visually stunning film, however, it is flawed in it attempt to make a positive change in Sonagachi.
Works Cited
Briski, Z. & Kauffman R. (Directors). (2004). Born Into Brothels [Documentary]. United States: THINKFilm.
Michel F. (2005, August). "Born into Brothels" Controversy. [Web blog comment]. Retrieved from http://www.solidarity-us.org/site/node/261
Partha Banerjee’s Letter to AMPAS
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Articles/partha_ban/born_into_brothels.htm
The brothel boy is the main suspect when a local 12 year old girl is raped. The victim is found naked with a head wound being held by the brothel boy after a group of farmers hear a scream coming from the river. Since he was the only one there the villagers assumed he was the perpetrator. So they formed a mob and tried to get people’s justice by almost beating him to death. This small village is located in Burma before modern times. Many believe that the brothel boy committed this assault because he has worked in the brothel all his life, seeing the acts, and is very undereducated. The villagers are calling that the brothel boy be hanged for his crime because they fear he could do it again if he gets out. The brothel boy’s punishment all comes
Banning, L. (Producer), Milos, F. (Director) (1996). Research Methods for the Social Sciences. [Film]. (Available from Horizon Film and Video, Austin, TX)
Social reproduction is the reproduction of cultural, human, and social capital in society. Therefore languages, traditions, cultural values, education, food security, and social circles are passed down from one generation to the next through Karl Mannheim’s concept of “fresh contact” and through society as a whole. Social reproduction is effective when social structures and equality within society are maintained. Inequality, poverty, and social changes that force society to adapt can impede the process of social reproduction causing what is known as a “crisis in social reproduction” (Wells, 2009). Born into Brothels demonstrates a crisis of social reproduction that negatively impacts the lives of children living in Sonagachi as a result of globalization, neoliberal policies, poverty, lack of adequate education and social structures to pass down capital, and the stigma of prostitution. Additionally, it shows the need for children to make economic contributions to their families that prevent them from leaving the brothel.
Have you ever thought what a world without children would be? Well, from comparing both “Brave New World” and “Children of Men,” it is found that a world without children is a dystopia. In other words, it is a complete disaster and everything in the world is not how it is today. By comparing the Brave New World society and the society in the film “Children of Men,” we can establish that in both dystopias there are no children, which impacts the relationship between man and woman. War, drugs, castes are common in both dystopias, as people tend to cope drugs to get away from the reality of war caused by people of different “castes.”
documentary, Rape in the Fields, the troubling outcomes of working in the fields is finally given
Kara, Siddharth. Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery. New York: Columbia UP, 2009. 5. Print.
Bangarra Dance Theatre’s phenomenon entitled Mathinna entails the awe-inspiring, yet historically enlightening journey of an Aboriginal girl who was taken from her home and forced to conform to the westernised norms of the 1800’s. In an era plagued by racism and prejudice, Mathinna emanates the themes of colonialism, and cultural intolerance. Following the viewing of this scintillating production it is undeniably clear that the architect of Mathinna, Stephen Page, has deliberately intended to shed light on the immoral practice of forcibly removing Indigenous children as well as address the issue of social and cultural erosion to emotionally move those of modern audiences. This essay serves to further elaborate on the cultural undertones of
The French documentary Babies shows the first year of development of four different babies who live in four completely different environments. The film follows Ponijao, a little girl from Namibia, Bayar, a little boy from Mongolia, Mari, a girl from Tokyo, and Hattie, a girl from San Francisco. Even though the babies live in very dissimilar parts of the world, their physical, cognitive, and social development seem to all follow a set pattern. On the other hand, the babies learn to do some activities distinctive to their environment by watching their parents and siblings. Therefore, Babies provides evidence to support both the nature and nurture sides of the debate.
Over 2 million children are sold into sex trafficking each year (Global). Sold gives the eye-opening narrative of just one of them. I followed Lakshmi through her journey as she learned about life outside her small hometown in Nepal. She loved her mother and baby brother and worked hard to keep up with her repulsive step-father’s gambling habit. When given the opportunity to take a job that could provide for her family, Lakshmi accepted the offer. Unknowingly, she walked into the hands of horrible people who led her blindly on the path of prostitution. Discovering her fate, Lakshmi latched onto hope when all seemed bleak. After months of endless abuse, some Americans gave her the opportunity to escape her situation, and, thankfully, she took
In every country of the world, different cultures are seen. Each culture has a different way of raising children and that is seen in the film Babies. Kids are raised differently depending on the resources available and the economic situation of the country and that is clearly seen in this film. The methods of childrearing are completely different in each of the countries covered in the film, but that is because in each country the kids are being raised for different types of futures. Babies are raised differently depending on the culture and location, however, the one thing that does not change throughout the film is that the mothers care extensively for their babies.
An article released by the BBC entitled “Horrors of India’s Brothels Documented” brought this shocking global issue to my attention. The article provides information about a young Indian girl who was only 11 when she was sold into sex slavery by her neighbor (who had persuaded her family to let her go with him to Mumbai); she was taken from her impoverished village in West Bangel. Brutally raped the first night she arrived in a brothel, Guddi is only one of 20,000 sex workers in that specific area [Kamathipura] (2013). The article elaborates on the history of sex slavery in India. It points out that laws have recently been put into place against human trafficking. However, the laws are not being strongly enforced due to the sheer number of the cases. Human trafficking is like a plague that is spread throughout the world, and India is one of the hardest hit places. This paper will elaborate on the reasons this condition exists in India, and explain the connections that India has with the rest of the world that stem from this issue.
Also, the film revealed women empowerment and how superior they can be compared to men. While demonstrating sexual objectification, empowerment, there was also sexual exploitation of the women, shown through the film. Throughout this essay, gender based issues that were associated with the film character will be demonstrated while connecting to the real world and popular culture.
Web. 10 Feb 2014 Radu, Roberta. “Romania’s Child Brides”. The Guardian.com. 29
Siddharth Kara. Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery. New York: Columbia University Press, 2009.
Census (2011) of India indicates that there are over 12 million child workers in India. They are employed in textile factories, roadside restaurants (dhabas), hotels, domestic workers, in mines and so on. They are even seen doing hazardous work in firecrackers and matchstick industries. This is not a new scenario for India. The Government has been taking proactive steps to tackle this problem through strict enforcement of policies and laws.