Advocacy Letter: CHILDREN AGAINST VIOLENCE

BOSES is the story of a musician, who regains back his humanity by giving violin lessons to a child of the slums. In turn, the child, through the instrument, is able to get back his voice from a muted, abused and desensitized existence. This is a story of friendship founded on the sublime beauty of music.
CINEMALAYA GOES TO U.P. scheduled BOSES on August 4 (Monday), 5pm.

Got the letter from the gala screening of BOSES at CCP last Wednesday (my review here). Posted/reproduced online with permission.

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“Mankind owes to the child the best it has to give.”

- UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Dear Friends,

Thank you very much for gracing our affair tonight. Your presence in the screening of BOSES goes a long way in our campaign to end violence against children.

BOSES is a tale of pain and suffering. But it is also a tale of hope and healing. Because the film is not just an advocacy against violence on children but also a paean to the sublime beauty of music and its power to heal and transform lives.

Onyok’s story can be any child’s story. Violence against children is real and rampant. And the children remain silent victims out of ignorance and fear. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Children can be equipped with the capacity to protect themselves and their rights. Thus, the campaign is called “Children Against Violence”.

Children, being children, cannot face this challenge on their own. They need all the support they can get. Many are willing to help but are in search of the right vehicle to do so.

BOSES can be this vehicle. Film can be a powerful advocacy tool, provided it is able to reach the greatest audience possible. And that is the objective of the educational film circuit which we hope to set-up by October 2008 in cooperation with UNICEF, CWC secretariat and DSWD who will be helping us through networking and curriculum development for post-screening discussions. It aims to bring movies on children and children’s rights to the people, wherever they are.

The educational film circuit can be an opportunity for those who wish to contribute to the campaign for the protection of children’s rights. This participation can come in several forms, to wit:

• One can volunteer and be trained as a Child Rights Film (CRF) Advocate who will bring the films to schools and communities;
• One can bring the films to his/her own school or community;
• One can recommend areas for the showing of the film where he/she has contacts who can facilitate the showing of the film;
• One can be a sponsor;
• One can recommend other possible ways of using the film as a tool; or
• One can let us know how he/she would like to participate.

We know that there are individuals or organizations who would want to take part in the campaign to end the violence against children. This is the chance to do that.

Please let us know if you would like to be part of this important endeavor. Call/text Laarni Aranas at 09198274100 or email boses08@gmail.com.

Sincerely yours,

Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil

Producer-Director, BOSES