‘Brothels’ children find hope for future
Published: March 12, 2005
Several now go to school, live in group homes and aspire to attend college.
For those who’ve seen the Oscar-winning “Born Into Brothels,” the documentary that tracks the children of Calcutta’s red-light district, the ending lingers in the mind: images of sweet-faced kids, wisecracking kids, talented kids, kids faced with not-so-happy endings.
As it turns out, most are doing quite well, facing hopeful futures, according to filmmakers Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman. There is the pudgy Avijit, son of a murdered prostitute, now 15 and attending one of Calcutta’s best schools, with plans to go to art school in New York. He regularly e-mails the filmmakers.
“Dear Zana Auntie and Ross Uncle: I’m a completely different Avijit. I’m thin and I speak English.”
Pretty Puja, now 14 and in school, often text-messages Kauffman from the cell phone the duo gave her: “Ross, where are you? I miss you.”
Kochi, 12, who rarely spoke in the film, now speaks English fluently. She wants to be a teacher of children like herself.
“The kids are taught to be ashamed of themselves. It’s handed down to them,” Briski says. “Now they’re very empowered to help themselves.”
Since 1998, Briski, a British photographer, has been trekking back and forth to Calcutta, originally moving into a brothel to document the lives of India’s sex workers. There, she became entranced with their children, who followed her everywhere, asking questions. She bought 10 basic cameras, taught the most curious ones to use them, and then sent them out to capture their worlds.
The results were surprising: Glimpses of talent, of artistic sensibilities. Briski persuaded Kauffman, a film editor with whom she then was romantically involved, to collaborate on a documentary. Over two years, they filmed the children, ever more determined to save them. The obstacles were significant: Girls were expected to be put “on the line.” Boys could become pimps, drug dealers or thieves.
Fighting byzantine bureaucracies, and some parents who saw their children as meal tickets, the duo helped many children, placing them in group homes and schools. An exhibition of the children’s photography has toured the world; sales of their photos and a companion book have raised $100,000 toward their education. The filmmakers plan to build a school in Calcutta for 50 children of sex workers. They’ve also launched similar “Kids With Cameras” programs in Cairo, Haiti and Jerusalem.
Still, Briski says, not all of the children could be helped. Gour, the serious one, refused to leave the brothel; he doesn’t want to leave his mom. But he plans to attend college. Now 16, he’s an activist, e-mailing Kauffman and Briski to send help when a child is in trouble.
Manik and Shanti, brother and sister, ages 13 and 14, remain in the brothels. Shanti has run away from her group home a couple of times. Manik is on a waiting list for a group home.
Watching the film for the first time, the young audience cracked up at the sight of themselves. But for Kochi, who stood up for herself and refused to return to the brothels, it triggered mixed emotions.
“Kochi said it really hurt her to watch the film, to see how her life used to be,” Briski says.
“She said, ‘What would I have done without you?’
“I was heartbroken. I asked her if (the documentary) was truthful. She said yes. It told her how far she’s come and how far she has to go. She was able to take the pain and transform it.”
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