Image courtesy of
Kids with Cameras

I happened to get the very last ticket to the showing of the documentary Born Into Brothels at the 2004 Sarajevo Film Festival – it was just prior ot my own trip to India and it has influenced my perspective in a number of ways. Incidentally, it won the 2005 Oscar for best documentary.

Briefly, this documentary focuses on a portion of the work of Zana Briski – a photographer with an MA from Oxford who went to Calcutta to photograph sex workers, staying (renting a room long-term) in a brothel to do so. It took some time to build up trust with the adults, but the children warmed to her almost immediately and she got the idea to start holding photography classes for them. The full story – much of which is available on the DVD – is of course lengthier, but in short, she bought each of the kids a $35 point and shoot camera and held weekly lessons. Over time, she ended up attempting to get them enrolled in private schools where they could live and not only get an education but get out of the brothel where there is pressure on them to enter the trade.

What’s remarkable to me is not just the “volunteer” nature of the work, but that the obstacles were overwhelming; Zana and producer/director Ross Kaufman started by financing and “doing” this project themselves. They didn’t hit the ground running with contacts or funds provided by the Peace Corps or the UN.

None of the children in the film has become a prostitute.

Several are in boarding schools – one of whom – Avjit, who also travelled to Amsterdam to receive a World Press Photo award – is in the US; read about the kids today here. Most of all, these kids have ideas for what they can do besides become involved in prostitution.

One thing that jumped out at me watching the film is that it’s not sad. The situation is sad and the consequences are very real – but though the kids are hindered in many ways by having parents who are criminals…they play and laugh and joke around and take amazing photos. It’s not depressing. I think this is one of the reasons people avoid topics like this - I don’t mean to take away from its severity but… it’s not depressing. Watch this film. Buy the soundtrack. And also the book.

Stay tuned for the Volunteer Logue profile of Kids With Cameras, the non-profit organization started by Zana Briski which, among other things, is involved in building a school specifically for children of sex workers and encouraging others to initiate similar photograhpy classes around the world.