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Hard labour: 15 kids film stories
Published on Sat, Jun 16, 2007 at 18:27, Updated on Wed, Jun 20, 2007 at 11:52 in India section
Tags: Child Labour, Documentary Film , Bangalore
Bangalore: They are the children of lesser gods, forced to forget their childhood and earn a living instead. But 15 of these children have just done something that is bound to open the eyes of many to the dark world of child labour.
A five-week-long journey by 15 of these children into the world of child labour has culminated in a documentary titled History Expedition. Apart from the 15 children, it took 15 digital cameras and a 4000-km cycling expedition across three states to document the dark world of child labour. And it's made by the children who experienced the horror first hand.
The pictures document many a heart-breaking story. From child prostitutes to iron ore miners, brick industry workers to six-year-old housewives, the film tells a poignant but real story. The team now intends to screen it for school and college students across the country.
And they now hope the exhibition will make a beginning in changing the story of their lives. "I took this photo in Jigni. This is to show people the problem of child labour and how to get rid of the problem," Jayaram says matter-of-factly. "I've taken this photo to show how kids sleep outside without food and water. I want to make people aware."
These are beautiful pictures that portray a bitter truth. And who better to capture the dark world of child labour than the children who have themselves been through the horror of it all.
For Jayaram and his friends, the 4000-km cycling expedition, 3,000 hours of filmimg and 25,000 photographs only opened their eyes to a malaise, which is alarming in its sheer scale.
"We've made a team called the Rainbow Warriors. All of us have joined together to free children like us from child labour. But we need help from other schools, colleges and other kids," Jayaram, a student of Born Free Art School, says.
The History Expedition is their journey, documented in a film, which was made by the director of the Born Free Art School, which now takes care of these children.
"Personally for me, it has been a big eye-opener. Theoretically, I thought there were many children like this. But I never realised it could be this awesome. 246 million children in the world are toiling out everyday and out of this 50 per cent are in India. Child labour should be taught in schools as a curriculum," John Devraj, Director of Born Free Art School, says.
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The problem is not just child labor but general poverty
that needs to be addressed. Ok, the child is saved, but
what
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