Video Volunteers is undertaking an important campaign to fight and stop Untouchability practices in India. Please do read through the short note and forward it to like minded people/organizations. I would love to hear your thoughts on it - specially on how we can publicize this and make action happen.
Caste practices captured on camera: Communities across India documenting Untouchability and demanding its abolition
8th April 2012, Baga, Goa - Next Saturday, April 14th, is Ambedkar Jayanthi. As a lead up to the holiday, local video journalists have spent the last few weeks documenting untouchabililty. Because these men & women are “community correspondents” they have been able to capture intimate images rarely witnessed by outsiders.
“As a child, I had experienced untouchability at school where I was forced to sit and eat separately from the children of upper caste families," says 24-year old Community Correspondent Neeru Rathod from Limbdi village in Gujarat, who is one of the many trained by Video Volunteers who participated in the project. “We wanted to gives viewers the responsibility, as witnesses, to end this age old oppression once and for all.”
For all those who believe that untouchability practices are a thing of the last century, these videos will relate a different story. On April 14, VV will release at least 20 short videos from across the country that will make it difficult for anyone to deny the continuance of this inhuman practice. Viewers will be urged to petition the National Commission of Scheduled Caste to take cognizance of these videos as evidence of offenses, and to take all steps to put an end to untouchability practices. In affected communities, Video Volunteers will screen these videos and mobilize people to petition the state offices of the NCSC.
Appeal to Rights Activists/Campaigners
We need your help in spreading this message globally so that enough pressure can be built on public institution like NCSC. Please email stalink@videovolunteers.org with your suggestions.
Access to Stories for Media
Media representatives interested in broadcasting the full stories should contact Jessica@videovolunteers.org. We will send you a hyperlink to a teaser plus a shot list of all instances of untouchability documented and their location. VV will be distributing to the media, free of cost, all content that is duly credited.
About Video Volunteers
Video Volunteers identifies, trains and empowers grassroots media producers who create change in and for voiceless communities in the developing world. With 100 community producers currently working with salaries, Video Volunteers is one of the largest social change media networks in the world. More than 500 videos on topics like child marriage, temple prostitution, insurgent conflict, atrocities against Dalits and peace between Hindus and Muslims have been produced, and more than 17,000 people have taken direct action after seeing one of our films.
Video Volunteers’ work has received awards or funding from Ashoka, The Knight News Challenge, Echoing Green, TED, UNDP, and many others; our content has been seen on Al Jazeera, NewsX, Nickelodeon, MTV Iggy, as well as in countless villages and slums during night time open air screenings and discussions. Viewers can visit our IndiaUnheard website to watch one new community-produced video posted daily.
--
Stalin K.
Director
Video Volunteers - Empowering Community Voices
Phone : (W) 0832-2281032 (M) 99235-94635
Skype: stalink1234
www.videovolunteers.org/
http://twitter.com/videovolunteers
Watch our videos: indiaunheard.videovolunteers.org
Caste practices captured on camera: Communities across India documenting Untouchability and demanding its abolition
8th April 2012, Baga, Goa - Next Saturday, April 14th, is Ambedkar Jayanthi. As a lead up to the holiday, local video journalists have spent the last few weeks documenting untouchabililty. Because these men & women are “community correspondents” they have been able to capture intimate images rarely witnessed by outsiders.
“As a child, I had experienced untouchability at school where I was forced to sit and eat separately from the children of upper caste families," says 24-year old Community Correspondent Neeru Rathod from Limbdi village in Gujarat, who is one of the many trained by Video Volunteers who participated in the project. “We wanted to gives viewers the responsibility, as witnesses, to end this age old oppression once and for all.”
For all those who believe that untouchability practices are a thing of the last century, these videos will relate a different story. On April 14, VV will release at least 20 short videos from across the country that will make it difficult for anyone to deny the continuance of this inhuman practice. Viewers will be urged to petition the National Commission of Scheduled Caste to take cognizance of these videos as evidence of offenses, and to take all steps to put an end to untouchability practices. In affected communities, Video Volunteers will screen these videos and mobilize people to petition the state offices of the NCSC.
Appeal to Rights Activists/Campaigners
We need your help in spreading this message globally so that enough pressure can be built on public institution like NCSC. Please email stalink@videovolunteers.org with your suggestions.
Access to Stories for Media
Media representatives interested in broadcasting the full stories should contact Jessica@videovolunteers.org. We will send you a hyperlink to a teaser plus a shot list of all instances of untouchability documented and their location. VV will be distributing to the media, free of cost, all content that is duly credited.
About Video Volunteers
Video Volunteers identifies, trains and empowers grassroots media producers who create change in and for voiceless communities in the developing world. With 100 community producers currently working with salaries, Video Volunteers is one of the largest social change media networks in the world. More than 500 videos on topics like child marriage, temple prostitution, insurgent conflict, atrocities against Dalits and peace between Hindus and Muslims have been produced, and more than 17,000 people have taken direct action after seeing one of our films.
Video Volunteers’ work has received awards or funding from Ashoka, The Knight News Challenge, Echoing Green, TED, UNDP, and many others; our content has been seen on Al Jazeera, NewsX, Nickelodeon, MTV Iggy, as well as in countless villages and slums during night time open air screenings and discussions. Viewers can visit our IndiaUnheard website to watch one new community-produced video posted daily.
--
Stalin K.
Director
Video Volunteers - Empowering Community Voices
Phone : (W) 0832-2281032 (M) 99235-94635
Skype: stalink1234
www.videovolunteers.org/
http://twitter.com/videovolunteers
Watch our videos: indiaunheard.videovolunteers.org
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