Film: Suffer the Children - WE NO LONGER DISTRIBUTE
http://www.journeyman.tv/film/3394
Transcript
COMM In Baghdad today children sing songs about death… it’s the world they know
Singing over shots of car bombs + sirens
COMM “I slipped from your hands as you said farewell”, sings six-year-old Seif. The words could be written for his parents. They were blown to pieces in front of these big young eyes by a car bomb.
INTV SEIF – 5 YEAR OLD ORPHAN TAPE 11/ 00.13.00 – 00.13.33 WE WERE WALKING AND THEN MY MOTHER AND FATHER EXPLODED… IT WAS A BOMB, THE CAR WENT UP IN FLAMES… I WAS THERE.
COMM Seif’s story is a common one, all his friends here know about death and about loss and have experienced both first hand.
COMM The Beit el Aman orphanage in the dangerous Sayidiya district in southern Baghdad cares for children who have lost their parents or have abandoned on the Iraqi capitals lawless streets.
COMM Children like Arkan whose horrifc burns were caused by members of a street gang pouring petrol over him and setting him alight.
INTV ARKAN- STREET CHILD TAPE 11 / 00.21.08 – 00.22.05 I PUT THE FLAMES OUT BY HITTING MYSELF AGAINST A WALL. I WENT TO THE POLICE AND WHEN THEY SAW ME AT FIRST THEY THOUGTH I WAS A SUICIDE BOMBER. BUT WHEN I EXPLAINED WHAT HAPPENED THEY BROUGHT ME TO HOSPITAL.
COMM Shakir Said runs the charity funded children’s centre. He works alone now. His friend and colleague Hani Abbas was murdered while caring for youngsters.
INTV SHAKIR SAID - MANAGER OF BEIT AMAN ORPHANAGE TAPE 10 / 00.35.22 -00.36.00 IT’S NO LONGER SAFE TAKING THE CHILDREN OUT OF THE CENTRE. MY PARTNER WAS SHOT THREE TIMES IN THE HEAD JUST TAKING A CHILD TO SEE HIS RELATIVES.
COMM So the children must stay within the walls of the orphanage now. And it’s likely to get worse. Funding is running out and in a month the centre may have to close. It’s principle says he will take the children like Seif home with him rather than turn them onto the streets.
COMM The children are Iraq’s futire but so many of them are damaged by t its present. This mother has brought her son Muslim to see a leading speacial in infant trauma in Ibn Roshod Hospital. The boy witnessed a bombing and is badly affected she says.
INTV MOTHER OF TRAUMATISED KID TAPE 20/ 00.07.45 Before the THE CAR BOMB,he was normal, then HE BEGAN TO FAINT AND VOMIT a lot HE GETS NERVOUS fits AND BECOMES STIFF.
COMM Dr Haydar Mohsen says this young patient like so many he sees is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He’s worried about the long term effect on the behaviour of a generation growing up with violence and death as a norm.
INTV DOCTOR AT PSYCHO CENTRETAPE 20/ 00.20.25 THE CHILDREN SEE HORRORS ON THE STREETS AND EVERYDAY ON TELEVISION. THEY ARE BECOMING MORE AGGRESSIVE. I PERSONALLY SAW A BUNCH OF KIDS PLAYING THE ROLE OF THE MILITIA KIDNAPPING OTHER BOYS AND PRETENDING TO TORTURE THEM. IT IS THE NEW VIOLENT CULTURE.
COMM And when it seemed things couldn’t get any worse, there’s a new and growing threat- child kidnapping. These 2 brothers who asked not to be identified were snatched by armed men as they left their school.
INTV KIDNAPPED KIDS TAPE 21/ 00.11.50 THEY KEPT ON ASKING ME IF I WAS SUNNI OR SHIA. I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY, I TOLD THEM I WAS SUNNI BUT THEY DIDN’T BELIVE ME AND KEPT ON HITTING ME. THEY SAID THEY WERE GOING TO KILL US AND DUMP OUR BODIES ON THE STREETS.
COMM Fortunately for these boys, the sunni kidnappers eventually accepted their story and released them. but they daren’t leave their home now and their family like thousand before them are planning to leave Iraq.
COMM But that is not an option available to the vast majority of this scarred generation. Today children from 3 state orphanages gather for a special show with entertainment intended to life their spirits. The song calls for patience and promises a better tomorrow.
COMM A concept that must be hard to believe in when you’ve seen as much and lost as much as they have seen in their short lives.
Singing over shots of car bombs + sirens
COMM “I slipped from your hands as you said farewell”, sings six-year-old Seif. The words could be written for his parents. They were blown to pieces in front of these big young eyes by a car bomb.
INTV SEIF – 5 YEAR OLD ORPHAN TAPE 11/ 00.13.00 – 00.13.33 WE WERE WALKING AND THEN MY MOTHER AND FATHER EXPLODED… IT WAS A BOMB, THE CAR WENT UP IN FLAMES… I WAS THERE.
COMM Seif’s story is a common one, all his friends here know about death and about loss and have experienced both first hand.
COMM The Beit el Aman orphanage in the dangerous Sayidiya district in southern Baghdad cares for children who have lost their parents or have abandoned on the Iraqi capitals lawless streets.
COMM Children like Arkan whose horrifc burns were caused by members of a street gang pouring petrol over him and setting him alight.
INTV ARKAN- STREET CHILD TAPE 11 / 00.21.08 – 00.22.05 I PUT THE FLAMES OUT BY HITTING MYSELF AGAINST A WALL. I WENT TO THE POLICE AND WHEN THEY SAW ME AT FIRST THEY THOUGTH I WAS A SUICIDE BOMBER. BUT WHEN I EXPLAINED WHAT HAPPENED THEY BROUGHT ME TO HOSPITAL.
COMM Shakir Said runs the charity funded children’s centre. He works alone now. His friend and colleague Hani Abbas was murdered while caring for youngsters.
INTV SHAKIR SAID - MANAGER OF BEIT AMAN ORPHANAGE TAPE 10 / 00.35.22 -00.36.00 IT’S NO LONGER SAFE TAKING THE CHILDREN OUT OF THE CENTRE. MY PARTNER WAS SHOT THREE TIMES IN THE HEAD JUST TAKING A CHILD TO SEE HIS RELATIVES.
COMM So the children must stay within the walls of the orphanage now. And it’s likely to get worse. Funding is running out and in a month the centre may have to close. It’s principle says he will take the children like Seif home with him rather than turn them onto the streets.
COMM The children are Iraq’s futire but so many of them are damaged by t its present. This mother has brought her son Muslim to see a leading speacial in infant trauma in Ibn Roshod Hospital. The boy witnessed a bombing and is badly affected she says.
INTV MOTHER OF TRAUMATISED KID TAPE 20/ 00.07.45 Before the THE CAR BOMB,he was normal, then HE BEGAN TO FAINT AND VOMIT a lot HE GETS NERVOUS fits AND BECOMES STIFF.
COMM Dr Haydar Mohsen says this young patient like so many he sees is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He’s worried about the long term effect on the behaviour of a generation growing up with violence and death as a norm.
INTV DOCTOR AT PSYCHO CENTRETAPE 20/ 00.20.25 THE CHILDREN SEE HORRORS ON THE STREETS AND EVERYDAY ON TELEVISION. THEY ARE BECOMING MORE AGGRESSIVE. I PERSONALLY SAW A BUNCH OF KIDS PLAYING THE ROLE OF THE MILITIA KIDNAPPING OTHER BOYS AND PRETENDING TO TORTURE THEM. IT IS THE NEW VIOLENT CULTURE.
COMM And when it seemed things couldn’t get any worse, there’s a new and growing threat- child kidnapping. These 2 brothers who asked not to be identified were snatched by armed men as they left their school.
INTV KIDNAPPED KIDS TAPE 21/ 00.11.50 THEY KEPT ON ASKING ME IF I WAS SUNNI OR SHIA. I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY, I TOLD THEM I WAS SUNNI BUT THEY DIDN’T BELIVE ME AND KEPT ON HITTING ME. THEY SAID THEY WERE GOING TO KILL US AND DUMP OUR BODIES ON THE STREETS.
COMM Fortunately for these boys, the sunni kidnappers eventually accepted their story and released them. but they daren’t leave their home now and their family like thousand before them are planning to leave Iraq.
COMM But that is not an option available to the vast majority of this scarred generation. Today children from 3 state orphanages gather for a special show with entertainment intended to life their spirits. The song calls for patience and promises a better tomorrow.
COMM A concept that must be hard to believe in when you’ve seen as much and lost as much as they have seen in their short lives.