Stairway Foundation, in cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), aims to break the silence in the realities of child pornography in the Philippines. One of the avenues with which they are pushing this advocacy is through the recent premiere of a new animated film drama called Red Leaves, last Tuesday (June 2), at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in RCBC Plaza, Makati City.
The film narrates the story of two young girls led away from their family and into child prostitution and sex trafficking. The film took two years in production and was written and directed by Ms. Monica D. Ray. The short story is based from a book compilation entitled “Black Angels, Street Children Realities” written by Ray herself in 2001.
“We decided to use animation, a very light medium, to communicate a heavy issue...animation can portray realities that cannot be easily communicated in other media.” Ray says.
It was followed by the award-winning Cracked Mirrors theater production.
The short film is an eye opener to the common man. It revealed the story behind a not-so-secret societal taboo here in the Philippines which many hesitates to openly discuss or at least talk about.
Red Leaves Falling is actually the third in a series of animation movies from Stairway. It is an honor for Digital Manila to be given a copy of the three digital animation films from UNICEF and Stairway Foundation. This blog would be more than willing to lend these videos in CD format to any institution interested for educational viewing or other purposes that would help spread the awareness/campaign. Please contact the blog author at DigitalManilaBlog@gmail.com .
The event also played host to different speakers and advocates against child pornography. The night's main concern was to send out the message of urgency in needing to pass the Anti Child Pornography Act 2009 currently on second reading in the House of Representatives. It was a campaign to awaken the Philippine congress to enact the aforementioned bill soon.
This is a far better bill worthy of concern than pushing for a constitutional assembly at this time.
Recent studies show that a child pornography site can receive more than a million hits a month.“The Philippines has no comprehensive law at the moment to prevent the spread of child pornography,” UNICEF Representative Vanessa Tobin states. “The problem in the region and country is getting far worse,” she adds.
Visit Stairway Foundation’s website at
www.stairwayfoundation.org
Send email inquiries at
stairway@stairwayfoundation.org
For the complete schedule of other activities for the ten-day “Silence is Acceptance” campaign against child pornography,
email UNICEF Philippines through mfrancia@unicef.org or call (63)(2)901.01.73.
Break the Silence. Share your concern.
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