“Poverty pornography” and what you can do to confront it

October 18, 2016 admin

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Every major humanitarian crisis or social justice issue has its stereotypes of who the person in need is. Child rights has the stereotype of the hungry orphan. Child trafficking has the image of a little girl chained. Many organisations rely on photographs of poverty, abuse, and disease in order to communicate a need.  Alarming images and gruesome stories are designed to shock the viewer into a taking a simple step: Donate.

These extreme images, which have been called poverty pornography, have long been effective in eliciting a response from the general public. Or at least, they are effective until the public becomes desensitized to an image or an issue, and moves on.  But behind each photograph there is a whole person and a complex situation which deserves to be treated with respect and nuance.

While photography plays a vital role in connecting donors to the ‘on-the-ground’ work of human rights and development organisations, the question of the ethical obligation towards the people these organisations work with, remains. That is, to treat all people with the dignity they deserve, no matter their circumstances. The end goal – to help people in need – does not justify all means.

NGOs continue to utilise powerful images and stories because they inspire a response by touching people’s emotions.  But how can we balance the need to engage with donors and raise awareness about serious and sometimes disturbing issues, while still showing respect for the dignity of the people we work with?

Here are three suggestions which guide Stahili’s practice in the use of images and stories:

1) If you are a development or aid organisation, implement an ethical photography policy. Commit to only sharing photographs which:

  • Have the informed consent of all relevant parties (i.e. the individual, the parent or guardian);
  • Protect the privacy of those individuals who have been victimised by abuse and exploitation;
  • Are neither manipulative, nor dishonest about the circumstances;
  • Strive to promote empowerment and nuance rather than sympathy and stereotypes.

2) If you are a donor, don’t reward the use of emotionally exploitative images

It is not wrong to donate from a place of emotional connection to an issue, that is where most of us start, but why not take things a step further by asking yourself: “What response does this image provoke in me?”. Use your money to show NGOs that you don’t support exploiting children in need, and give instead to those who are committed to using images and stories which showcase empowerment alongside the need. Don’t be afraid to ask organisations if they have an image policy and other documents that promote transparency about how they communicate their message.

3) Be wary of simplified solutions for complex and often systematic issues

Often images of suffering are accompanied by overly simplistic solutions such as ‘end poverty’. There is a need for organisations to communicate about the complications of development work. For example, Stahili is engaged in educating about the harms of institutionalising children in order to help donors and organisations see that orphanages should be a last resort and not a solution. This may be more complex in the short-term, as it involves reuniting children with relatives and investing in community development, but in the long term, a multi-faceted approach will do more to break the cycle of poverty and exploitation, than short-term ‘quick fixes’.

In our globalised world, more and more individuals are aware of the danger of using images which objectify those in need and exploit their circumstances. By supporting organisations who are committed to an ethical approach to storytelling, we can reduce harm and provide dignity to those we assist.

Further resources:

‘Code of Conduct on Images and Messages’ European NGO confederation for relief and development (CONCORD) (2012) <https://concordeurope.org/2012/09/27/code-of-conduct-on-images-and-messages/>

Chimamanda Adichie ‘The Danger of a Single Story’ (TedTalk 2009) <https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story>

 

Thanks to Saskia Wishart for her support in the preparation of this post.