Pity Charity: When “Storytelling” is Abuse - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: Writing in a blog on the Skoll World Forum for Social Entrepreneurship, Sebastien Marot discusses the practice by charities of featuring poor or abused children in videos meant to raise funds.
He says, “such a process re-traumatizes them and can stigmatize them forever. As one victim explains, ‘You know, my reputation has been lost because of this video…. Everybody looks down on me.’”
He points to two recent cases picked up by the media in Cambodia, where he is based, and references one organization which was accused of faking such stories “again,” and another where an “orphanage” staged an auction of children’s photos, having the children present them “to heighten audience pity, and thus, sales.” These kinds of actions by aid organizations re-victimize children.
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