Child addiction, Howrah train station

Sama

Child Addiction

The first photograph is stunning and chilling.

NEED Magazine...."We are not out to save the world but to tell the stories of those who are."

NEED is the first independent magazine dedicated solely to global and domestic humanitarian issues.

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machadinha

There was an article on these kids posted some years ago by Steve, which also touches on Railways personnel getting together to try and help them. Poignant material, yes: The Railway Children.

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Indizen

Appalling images. They have shock value when they stare at us from the pages of a magazine, but we ignore the same everyday reality that we encounter around us each day.

zwala

not much 'value' in shock value if we end up turnng the page and moving on. Also object to 'beautiful' and 'chilling' images that serve to sensationalise without outlining constructive strategies for remedy.
Can vouch for the good work of the Future Hope school providing education to street kids in Kolkata.
http://www.futurehope.net

machadinha

But we don't know if that's what the recipient of the material will do, do we? You mean nothing should get publicized, ever, any more? (Or not without taking the reader explicitly by the hand and telling them what to do?)

Who's to say if some readers or viewers may not register it and act on it, tomorrow or decades from now, perhaps in different contexts that are entirely unpredictable.

brishti

street children more often than not are runaways / displaced / broken-from-bondage...
they're cut-off from their families and home... some by choice, some not.
they form 'gangs' or 'groups' and live off their wits on the streets


there are several organisations in calcutta and most major metro's who work with street children... not nearly enough help - but they do exist
[of course these dont get into magazines - they're small - no shock value there]
these organisations provide a safe haven / food / basic education - trying to give them an anchor and a 'productive' future.

the other side of the coin is - [whether you relate and/or agree to it or not - it dont change the facts most are unaware of]
alot of these kids, prefer their kick-a** lifestyle on the streets, living as they want - no bonds - no rules.
so... a couple of days in the shelter and off they go out in the street again.
some return for a short period [generally for medical help] - some dont.

and no - i am not ignoring the 'beggar' mafia.
but this is specifically about street kids...

ask a street kid if s/he wants to go to school - have a 'home' - a bed to sleep on...
and see if they 'all' say aye - or how many say 'nay'.
[i'm guessin - they'll all say 'yes' if given the option to go abroad though!!]
they prefer the food and/or money you give them... especially the boys.
they're sharp, awesome presence of mind and gosh they're smart... and believe it or not - 'happy'!




:brishti

ps
great photography
havent read the articles - got the slumdog-millionaire-aire to it i'm a-guessin

machadinha

That is precisely what that previous article posted by Steve that I pointed to above gets into, yes. And again (in a faint glimmer of hope), touching on local Railway staff organizing to do something practical for these kids -- and apparently on those kids' terms, not on anyone else's.

It is really a worthwhile read (and should provide a pointer or two at least for anyone who wants to get involved. Note as such it dates to 2005 though, but I'd be surprised if that had all petered out in just those few years. And like you say and I said there, I don't think such initiatives will be limited just to Kolkata either, far from it.)

brishti

steve's article - i will then read
thank you.



:brishti

palerider

In australia, it's petrol sniffing with indigenous kids.
Serious brain damage, and permanent lung deterioration.

Talk about starting behind the 8 ball.

This stuff just swamps me with pain.
All we can do is our little bit, but we have to do OUR LITTLE BIT.

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brishti

true.
i think every country has their share / version of street kids.
oh well...



:brishti

machadinha

It's probably no wonder Britain's first underground punk fanzine was called Sniffin' Glue (1976).

Hey, that finally grew into a movement -- but we've all seen those who fell by the wayside, no doubt. Sure was a far cry from most of us middle-class wannabe-rebels in any case.

(While seemingly off-topic, I think maybe what I'm trying to say is that, besides the fact that I can relate, these kids will have to be taken on their own merits if anything is to be achieved yes.

And always keeping a sense of perspective, of course; of course these kids don't represent some proto-social movement. Although they well may in later years, and one that mainstream society might not be all too happy with, at all; and then maybe they haven't just quite been discovered yet as the interesting "youth/niche market" that was an inseparable part of any such movements in the West.

Wait till that happens, and it becomes an active -- and simultaneously commercially interesting and exploitable -- anti-stance.)

federica

Isn't it more about giving them a chance? It's no wonder that they trust only themselves. And it's not an easy task to rebuild trust. But I think they deserve genuine assistance, finally it's up to them whether they take the chance.

Sama

as the magazine itself says....

and a photograph of poverty or terror can be both stunning (which was my word, not your word of "beautful") and chilling....like this one or these from the Viet Nam war or Margaret Burke-White's photos of the Buchenwald concentration camp or Kent State.

they're called photos that change the world. or at least try to.

capt_mahajan

For a superficially fictional account of childrens' life at a railway station- Delhi- part of Tejpal's 'The Story of My Assassins' is a good read.

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paratmoshe

SNEHASADAN is a center for streetchildren based in Mumbai. They have helped hundreds of streetchildren to have a new caring and loving home in different houses all over Mumbai. They also have contact rooms at Borivali and CTS railway stations where streetchildren can go for help and maybe go to one of their homes.
It is a wonderful initiative! You can also sponsor one of the children there. I really love this place and the kids are so great and beautiful, like the ones in those great pictures of the magazine you sent.
Their website is www.snehasadan.org .If you are in Mumbai check it out, those kids are so amazing and loving.