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World Children’s Day and Human Rights Month: Take Action Pack

Published on March 17, 2009

Twelve Months, Twelve Films, Twelve Issues.

Here at MediaRights.org and the Media That Matters Film Festival, we decided to team up and give you a fresh, focused, all-in-one package of brand new short films, background information, resources, tips and activities on each of the topics covered in the eighth annual Media That Matters Film Festival.

The mission of the festival is to take the concept of “audience” a step further and use short-form, big issue media as a tool to educate and inspire activism

This month, our Take Action Pack celebrates World Children’s Day and Human Rights Month by showcasing the film Hammoudi which focuses on Mohammed, a young boy boy who rises above violence in Lebanon with wit, humor and the support of his best friend. At the end of the pack, we provide helpful links for educators, families and youth leaders who want to take action in their own communities.

The Issue

Like all wars throughout history, modern warfare has had devastating consequences in terms of lives lost and property destroyed. Unlike past wars, however, today’s conflicts can inflict damage long after hostilities have ended as weapons such as land mines and cluster bombs remain scattered throughout former war zones, their deadly potential covering fields and areas meant for work or play.

image by Mandy

According to OneWorld International, there are currently more than 100 million landmines in 70 countries. Since 1975, landmines have killed or maimed more than one million people. Unexploded cluster bombs are equally threatening to civilian populations. A cluster bomb contains 200 smaller bombs, or bomblets, each about the size of a soda can, each packed with armor-piercing shrapnel. Although intended to explode on impact, 10-25% fail to detonate.

Handicap International, in its 2006 study Fatal Footprint, found that over 11,000 people are killed or injured by cluster bombs each year. Of that number, almost one-third are children, some of whom mistake the bomblets for playthings. Used extensively by Israel in the 2006 conflict with Lebanon, cluster bombs now litter much of south Lebanon. This month’s featured film documents the physical and psychological aftermath for a young boy who stepped on one of these bombs.

image by Matanglawin

For a population that has experienced the terror of war, the presence of landmines or cluster bombs in their fields and villages leaves a lingering fear and anxiety as people try to go about their daily activities. These weapons curtail the free movement of people in their own country by preventing children from playing outdoors and by keeping farmers from working in fields that may contain hidden explosives.

In recent years, the world has made little headway in banning anti-personnel weapons. The campaign against landmines spearheaded, along with the work of the International Committee to Ban Landmines [www.icbl.org], resulted in the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. As of March 2008, 156 countries had signed on to the treaty. More than forty countries refused to sign, among them Russia, China and the U.S. Likewise, international meetings in 2007 and 2008 to ban cluster bombs have resulted in significant agreement on prohibiting the use of this weapon.

As the nations of the world slowly band together to protect human life, many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) continue their efforts to enhance the well-being of the most vulnerable. World Children’s Day and Human Rights Month provide a time to reflect on the rights of all people and to consider joining efforts to reduce or eliminate violations of those rights.

The Film

Hammoudi

Hammoudi is the story of a young Lebanese boy injured by a cluster bomb just after his twelfth birthday. Hammoudi talks about the accident that tore off parts of both of his legs, and his subsequent medical treatment. We learn about his fears and sorrows as well as the all-important relationship with his friend Issam. In spite of the terrible physical and emotional suffering he has endured, Hammoudi is determined to conquer his pain and live a normal life. Winner of the Jury Award, Hammoudi is a stark and powerful portrait of the devastation that can be caused by modern weapons even after a war has ended.

Other strong youth-focused human rights films from Media That Matters include Rapping at Fear; a this thirteen-year-old who raps against violence in his home town in Colombia America For Dummies ; a film questioning youth’s knowledge of current affairs in a pop-culture saturated world and Book ‘Em: Undereducated, Overincarcerated; a look at the school to prison pipeline.

If you are interested in other issue-focused DVDs for your collection or screening, please email us for more information.

The Action!

Educators

Want more context on this issue? Read up on Lebanon’s history, culture and current events.
Rewrite the Future is an initiative of Save the Children that is helping millions of children in war zones gain access to education. Find out how you can get involved.

For Families

Several organizations are working to ban cluster bombs and land mines:

Join the Human Rights Watch campaign to ban cluster bombs and sign the letter to legislators.
The U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines offers a list of ways to get involved in this issue.
E-Mine - Electronic Mine Information Network serves as a clearinghouse for information on how to help.

For Youth Leaders

image by Matanglawin

Join the movement committed to achieving a new international treaty to ban cluster bombs.
Explore how disabled people can make a positive difference in their own lives. Sign the petition to help Handicap International campaign against cluster bombs!
Be one of UNICEF’s voices for youth; Fight for children’s rights, help Africa develop, join RURAL Voices of Youth on Facebook and more.
UN Dispatch is a blog providing commentary and coverage on UN issues. UN Dispatch’s intended purpose is to: Offer thoughtful perspective on UN issues; Provide factual information about the UN’s work; and Fact-check claims and coverage about the UN offered by pundits, journalists, bloggers, and others.

And remember—you can host a screening of the Media That Matters films by visiting our site for more information.

In Conclusion

We hope that these resources will supplement your use of film in the classroom and community. Beyond Media That Matters, we invite you to search around MediaRights to find others films, organizations and to read about other important human rights issues.

Good luck, and let us know what you are doing to encourage awareness or change on these issues. Publish an announcement on MediaRights to encourage others to join you, or send us an email with any feedback!

This article is available for noncommercial use under a Creative Commons license. It was originally published on MediaRights.org, a project of Arts Engine, Inc. This notice must accompany the article at all times.

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