Red-light area kids making films on lives of their mothers

Kolkata, June 22: A group of around 50 girls living with their prostitute mothers in red-light areas of Sonagachi and Munshigunj here are these days busy writing scripts and narrating their stories before the camera as they turn film makers.

These children were a part of a four-day video making workshop last week with award-winning director Aseem Asha, who taught them how to tell a story in a simple yet effective way before the world using the power of a camera.

"I want to study and help my mother. I want to show the world how difficult the life of my mother is in my video," a 14-year-old participant said. Her shooting is over and she is busy in post-production work under expert guidance.

Another 8-year-old girl said, "I am writing a story for the first time in my life. I also saw a camera for the first time. Now I am learning to use it and may be I will become a movie maker in Bombay, when I grow up."

Anti-trafficking organisation 'Apne Aap Women Worldwide' has collaborated with Alliance Francaise, the French Cultural Centre, to empower these children by helping them to speak out about their sufferings and problems.

"After years of continued oppression and exploitation in red-light areas these children lose their voice and also the hope of a bright future. By giving them the skills to tell their stories using videos, we give them a voice," Ruchira Gupta, founder of Apne Aap NGO, told PTI.

PTI