The Television Commercial (from Is it Possible to Tell People About Child Sexual Abuse in One Minute?)
| We see in semi-silhouette a woman who is probably in her mid-thirties. She is seated in an armchair in the living room of a middle class home in Bangladesh. It is evening and the shadow cast by the lampshade keeps her features in partial darkness.* The woman is having a cup of tea with someone. This "someone" could be a friend, a confidante, even a researcher…we never see who it is. Since the woman does her piece to the camera, the "someone" could even be us, the viewers. The framing of the shots - mostly mid-shots and close ups - give the film an air of intimacy. The barest minimum of sound effects are used and these only to accentuate the tone and mood of the film. * The woman was played by a professional actress; even so, given the ethical issues involved in Child Sexual Abuse (CSA), it was decided not to reveal her identity at any point. [N.B. The reader must keep in mind the loss of nuance that has occurred in the following translation from Bangla to English.] |
| [Sombre but calm; remembering][SFx: very quiet, but tense sound effects] I must have been about 8 or 9 years old then. We had a relative. He was much older than me. He would [hesitant]… often…under the guise of games and playing…you know… You do understand what I'm trying to say, don't you? [voice quality suggests reaching out] I used to feel uneasy, awkward… very scared…[pause] But nobody seemed to understand what I was going through…no one understood my silence. What could I say? [pause] [indignant] But tell me do you think it is possible for a little child to speak out about such experiences?No…it is the responsibility of adults to understand. [Sfx: tense sound effects stop]Today, I'm a happy person [her tone has changed; it is upbeat and positive]…I have a home, a wonderful husband and two lovely children [SFx: distant laughter of children]. I know that my children will never have to suffer silently what I did. I'm there for them, aren't I?[a smile in her voice] | Remembering… As the woman speaks we see a series of shots… a frontal view of her half-lit face, her hands, her profile backlit by light filtering in through a window…now she places her cup down, now she adjusts the aanchal of her saree, now she leans back in her chair… Cut to the present… There is a new energy in the woman's voice. She rises from her chair, to switch on more lights and along the way stops to straighten her children's toys, which she handles lovingly. At this point the woman picks up a photograph of her two children. She wipes it gently with her aanchal. In the glass of the photo frame we see a soft reflection of the woman's face…she is smiling gently. [Freeze frame] |
| Voice Over A safe and secure childhood is the right of every child. | Child Rights Campaign logo and slogan |
Unpacking the Television Commercial (TVC)
In keeping with the specific nature of the medium, the spoken component is minimal and mood and nuance are created through what we see on the screen - the colors, the play of light and shade, the frame composition, the pauses, the silences, the subliminal sound effects.
The film has 5 discrete parts, which are associated with a multitude of distinct messages…messages, which are never stated explicitly and form the unspoken sub-text of the actress' narration.
OneRemembering: the message here is that memories of Child Sexual Abuse(CSA) are enduring; while these memories can be painful it is possible and permissible to talk them out within the context of a non-threatening/supportive environment; it is possible to have coped with these memories at the emotional level and to be calm, objective and well-adjusted and to speak without embarrassment or guilt.
TwoIndignation: the feeling of isolation and loneliness that a child victim feels; it is necessary for adults to be alert to changes in a child's behavior, indeed understand his/her "silences"; children have neither the language nor the psychological tools to speak about such experiences.
ThreeContentment: A woman who has been abused as a child can grow into a well-adjusted, and "successful" adult (frequently measured by a happy marriage and motherhood in the case of women) with a positive outlook and healthy relationships (this counters the noshto meye perspective).
FourRecommendation: When she says that her children will never have to suffer as she did i.e. "silently"…she suggests that she is aware that all children can be exploited sexually and that it may not be possible to guard a child every minute of the way; the most important thing is to keep the lines of communication open, be alert to the child's behavior changes, and most importantly be "there" for them. It is possible to protect children from CSA and from its potentially damaging consequences.
FiveEndorsement: The voice over reiterates the right of every child to a safe and secure childhood. In effect this is the voice of the television, of the state-owned broadcast channel with all its associated authority and power to influence. A vivid example of the medium being the message. It provides the bridge between the individual story and the more generic principle; it lifts the issue of CSA out of the confines of a family predicament to the realm of a social concern.
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