PAL / 40 minutes / English, Konkani (with English subtitles)
Three summers ago, as I walked the balmy beaches of Goa, I was disturbed by the ease at which elderly single white male tourists had access to very young Indian children on the beach. I often saw a group of children, mostly boys, teeming around these men. And what looked like innocent banter often lead to holding, caressing and fondling of the children. Casual exploration among beach shack owners surprised me even more. The shack owners believed that these children weren’t local Goan children and so the goings-on did not bother them. According to them, these children were migrants from neighbouring States.
My alarm turned to concern as I spoke to a cross section of Goans – social workers, teachers, shack owners, taxi drivers and friends. It became increasingly clear that Goa was a favoured destination for paedophiles. Thanks to an excessively greedy tourism industry, a lack of political will, absence of specific laws, a lax police force and apathetic locals.
Being a Goan myself, I decided to make a film that I hoped would increase the awareness of this abuse of children. And explore ways an individual can respond in protecting the rights of the child and most importantly its innocence. I strongly believe that a film made but not shown to its primary audience is a film better left unmade. Hence I plan to screen the film at as many villages and associations along the beach areas. I hope to achieve this with active participation from organisations working in Goa, the village communities and local bodies.
Bhailé - the film is in the documentary mode; an attempt to illustrate the occurrence of tourism-related child sex abuse in India, using Goa as a case in point. It speaks to a cross-section of Goans and concerned individuals elsewhere in order to discuss as comprehensively the issues involved. Its driving force being the innocence of the child.
The film opens with the chaos and abandon that is associated with taking a vacation in Goa. In the midst of this madness, children write letters to Santa Claus for their Christmas gifts and a group of middle-aged foreign tourists arrive. We follow them to the beaches and their usual hangouts. And just then Santa replies…
… about his impending trip, money sent for Christmas and expensive bicycles. This ain’t good ol’ Santa riding on his sleigh with a bagful of goodies, but some fatherly men writing to their “sons”. In the course of their stay, we explore the various issues involved by speaking with representatives from the Police, the State, the Church, the NGO's, the Judiciary, beach-shack owners and some children.
NOTE ON THE DIRECTOR
Ajay Noronha graduated from St Xaviers College -Bombay in 1989 and then joined Child Relief and You, a national organisation supporting underprivileged children. The experience at CRY prompted him to pursue a course in Mass Communications at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. He has since worked as a freelance cameraman on several documentary films and television programmes over the last six years.
This is his first film as a director. And the first film on this issue in India.
CREDITS :
Producer / Director / Photographed by Ajay Noronha
Associate Director - R Sarada
Editor - Nirmal Chander
Sound Editor - Boby John
Additional Sound - Hari M
Additional Camera - Vineet Sabharwal, Sejal Shah, Puneet Gautam
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