Powerful Photos That Honor the Lives of Overlooked Women | Smita Sharma | TED

譯者: 至磊Zi Le 黃Ng 審譯者: Helen Chang

This is Lakhi Ram Lohar.

這位是拉奇‧蘭‧羅哈爾，

His job was to spray pesticide

他的工作是噴灑農藥，

at a tea garden in West Bengal, India.

在印度西孟加拉邦的一座茶園。

Lakhi was a single father

拉奇是一位單親爸爸，

to his only daughter, Sugi.

他只有一個女兒，名叫蘇姬。

One day in 2007,

2007 年的某一天，

Sugi went missing.

蘇姬失蹤了。

Lakhiram went to the local police to file a missing persons report,

拉奇‧蘭到當地的警局 填寫一份失蹤人口報告，

but he was unable to do so because he was illiterate.

但他沒辦法做到，因為他是文盲。

He didn't have Sugi's birth certificate or any of her photographs.

他沒有蘇姬的出生證明書 或任何一張照片，

So, the police didn't believe him,

所以警方不相信他，

and did nothing.

什麼都沒做。

He tried, again and again, but no luck.

他試了一次又一次， 但都沒有好結果，

It was as if Sugi never existed.

就彷彿蘇姬不曾存在一樣。

Ten years later,

十年之後，

a local nonprofit that fights human trafficking

當地一個對抗人口販運的非營利組織 接下了她的案子，

took up her case.

They approached Sugi's school

他們與蘇姬的學校接洽，

and requested proof that she had attended.

要求她的出席證明。

Here is the certificate, issued in 2017,

這是那份證明文件， 發布於 2017 年，

10 years after her disappearance.

也就是在她消失了十年之後。

It bothered me

讓我苦惱的是一個貧窮女孩的消失 對所有人而言一點都不重要，

that the disappearance of a poor girl doesn't matter to anyone,

except her family.

除了她的家人。

I'm a photojournalist,

我是一個攝影記者，

and I report on critical human rights and social issues,

我報導嚴重的人權和社會議題，

not just in my country, India,

不只在我的國家印度，

but across the Global South.

更橫跨南方世界。

I see stories like this everywhere.

我在各地都看見這樣的故事。

One of the biggest myths about human trafficking

對人口販運最大的迷思之一 是這只是開發中國家的問題，

is that it is a developing world problem.

But the reality is that human trafficking

但實際上，

人口販運在全球是一個 產值達 4.5 兆新臺幣的產業。

is a 150-billion-dollar industry, globally.

The International Labour Organization's 2016 report

國際勞工組織 2016 年的報告書

reveals that 40.3 million people were trafficked into modern-day slavery,

揭露有 4030 萬人 被當成現代奴隸販賣，

out of which 23 million were women and girls.

其中有 2300 萬人是婦女和女童，

It's as if girls and women from poor families

彷彿貧困家庭的女童和婦女 沒有任何價值，

don't have any value,

and their existence or their deaths ...

她們的存在或死亡不重要。

don't matter.

Their stories are mostly unseen and unheard.

她們的故事多半 沒人看見、沒人聽聞，

But it's important to see these stories and not look away.

但重要的是正視而不迴避這些故事。

Photographs inspire compassion

照片會激起同情心，

and enhance our understanding of the world.

增進我們對世界的瞭解。

It is a powerful tool for making connections with people.

它是很有威力的 與人建立連結的工具，

But when we undertake the task of sharing people's lives,

但當我們開始承擔 分享他人生活的任務，

we have an added responsibility.

我們就多了一項責任：

Are we representing them with dignity and fairness?

我們有慎重而公正地代表他們嗎？

Are we telling the whole story or just a part of it?

我們說的是完整的故事 還是只有一部分？

I'm very conscious about stereotypes and how I represent people.

我非常注意刻板印象 以及我代表他人的方式。

Life can be harsh for poor girls from these countries.

對這些國家的窮女孩而言， 生命可以很殘酷：

Boys are given preferential treatment,

男孩受到比較好的對待，

while girls are expected to do household chores --

女孩卻被期望從事家務——

cook, clean, fetch water,

烹飪、洗衣、取水，

and take care of their younger siblings.

還有照顧她們的弟妹。

Often, parents tend to marry their daughters early

家長時常很早就將女兒嫁出去，

so they would become someone else's responsibility.

如此一樣她們就會變成別人的責任。

Basic education is free in many developing countries,

在很多開發中國家 基礎教育是免費的，

but students still need to buy books and uniforms,

但學生仍然需要購買書本和制服；

and when putting even two meals on the table is a struggle,

在提供一日兩餐已經很艱辛的情況下，

schools can seem like a luxury.

上學看起來就像奢侈品。

So when I went to Nepal a few years ago,

我幾年前前往尼泊爾

to document child marriage for Human Rights Watch,

為人權觀察組織記錄童婚時，

I thought the girls I would meet were forced by their parents to marry.

我覺得我即將遇到的女孩 是被家長強迫成婚的。

What I saw was a bit different.

我實際看到的有一些不同：

The girls I met wanted to escape a grim situation

我遇到的女孩想擺脫無望的處境，

and gain some control of their lives.

得到一些對自己生命的控制權。

When Tilmaya was 11,

提爾瑪雅十一歲時

her father took her out of school

父親帶她離開學校，

and sent her to Pokhara to work as a domestic maid.

把她送到博卡拉去當女傭。

When she was 15, she eloped

十五歲時，她私奔了，

and married a 20-year-old man from her village.

嫁給她的村莊裡一位二十歲的男子。

This is Sharmila.

這位是莎米拉，

Sharmila's parents tried to separate her from her boyfriend,

她的父母試圖將她和男朋友分開，

so she ran away with him.

於是她跟男友逃走了。

She was 14, he was 18.

她當時十四歲，男友十八歲。

When I took this image of her,

當我替她拍下這張照片時，

Sharmila was seven months pregnant.

莎米拉已經懷孕七個月了。

She said she regrets leaving school and marrying early

她說她後悔那麼早 就離開學校，與人結婚，

and that she had no knowledge of reproductive health or family planning.

還說她不知道生殖健康和家庭計畫。

So why would girls leave the safety of their families,

那麼，為什麼這些女孩 會離開安全的家庭並中斷學業呢？

drop out of school?

For nothing?

沒有理由嗎？

To gain some control

為了對她們的未來得到一些控制。

of their future.

At least, in this case, they were able to choose their own partner.

至少在這種狀況下， 她們可以選擇自己的伴侶。

I try to dig deep and show the nuances of the situations,

我試著深入調查， 呈現這些情況的細節。

because often, poor women and girls are stripped of their equity and dignity.

因為貧窮的婦女和女孩 時常被剝奪平等權與自尊，

I would not have taken these photographs if the girls didn't want me to.

如果那些女孩不同意， 我就不會拍攝這些照片。

And I work very discreetly, keeping a low profile,

我非常謹慎地工作，盡量保持低調，

and go to great lengths to avoid attention.

盡力避免受到注意。

I carry minimum gear

我攜帶最少量的器材，

and this dirty-looking tote bag,

和這個骯髒的手提袋，

which my mother hates.

我媽媽討厭這個袋子。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

The idea is to blend with the crowd.

我的想法是要融入人群。

Even if I dress simply,

即使我打扮得很簡便，

it's understood I am from the city.

大家還是會知道我是從市區來的，

So I tell people I'm a researcher into female hygiene.

所以我告訴人們 我是女性生理用品研究員。

I started carrying sanitary napkins in my purse.

我開始用手提包攜帶衛生棉，

Men are so embarrassed,

男人們就會很尷尬，

they leave me alone.

不打擾我。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

The women offer me tea,

婦女給我茶喝，

and I sit and chat with them for hours,

我坐下來與她們聊上好幾個鐘頭，

until they get bored of me.

直到她們對我感到厭倦，

That's when my real work begins.

這時候我的工作才真正開始。

The family knows there will be no gossip or any unwelcome scrutiny,

那些家庭知道我不會聊八卦 或不受歡迎地亂看，

as I had already been to 10 different houses.

因為我已經去過十戶別人家了，

Everyone in the village just assumes I was there to speak about menstruation.

村子裡的眾人想當然地認為 我去那裡是要討論有關月經的事。

I'm very careful that my work does not disrupt

我很小心不要讓我的工作 干擾到我拍攝的人的生活，

the lives of the people I photograph,

while I'm there and long after I've left.

從我在當地的時候 到我離開很久後都是如此。

I do hours of research before diving into a new territory,

我在深入新的地區前 做了好幾個小時的研究。

honoring people's culture,

尊重在地人的文化、

abiding by local laws.

遵守當地法律、

Asking permission,

詢問對方是否同意、

seeking informed consent and not leading with my camera

取得知情同意、

不要未經同意就拍照

has been the foundation of my work.

是我工作的基本原則，

And this has helped me overcome many hostile situations.

也幫助我克服 許多充滿敵意的場面。

While working on a project called "Not My Shame,"

我在做「不是我的恥辱」專案，

documenting sexual violence in my country, India,

記錄我的國家印度的性暴力時，

I met a young girl I’ll call Beena.

遇到一個年輕女孩， 接下來我會以比娜稱呼她。

Beena was abducted and repeatedly raped by a distant relative.

比娜被一位遠親綁架並反覆強暴，

This man was also a very powerful person in the community.

那位男子是社區上有權有勢的人。

While I was sitting with Beena at her house,

我和比娜坐在她家時，

a huge crowd had gathered outside.

屋外聚集了一大群民眾。

Hearing loud voices, I went out,

我聽到吵鬧的聲音，走了出去，

only to be surrounded by a group of hostile men.

不料卻被一群懷有敵意的男人包圍。

The men snatched my camera bag,

他們奪走我的相機袋，

tore off my purse,

扯下我的手提包，

and started berating me.

開始對我破口大罵。

My first thought was to protect Beena and her family, and also myself.

我第一個想法是保護 比娜和她家人，還有我自己。

I tried to appear calm,

我試著顯得冷靜，

although I was scared.

儘管我很害怕。

The men said they thought I was there ...

那些男人說他們認為我在那裡

to disrupt their lives

是要擾亂他們的生活， 破壞村子的名聲；

and spoil the village's reputation.

I told them I was there to learn about their lives and culture.

我告訴他們我在那裡 是要了解他們的生活和文化。

By the end of our conversation, an hour later,

一個小時後，在我們對話的末尾，

these same men offered me tea and snacks.

同樣一群男子提供茶和點心給我。

Despite this incident,

即便發生了這起事件，

Beena and her family wanted me to share her story

比娜和她的家人還是希望 我跟全世界分享她的故事。

with the world.

Beena’s story matters,

比娜的故事很重要，

so does Sugi's,

蘇姬的也是，

and hundreds of women's and girls' like them.

數百位像她們一樣的 婦女和女孩也一樣。

Their stories would not have been seen or heard

如果沒有跟我一樣的人 呈現這些故事，

if people like me didn't show them.

她們的故事就不會被看見或聽聞了。

We need to start valuing them.

我們必須開始重視她們，

The first step to any change

任何改變的第一步是承認和察覺，

is acknowledgment and awareness.

Otherwise, this cycle of harm will continue.

否則這個傷害的循環就會延續。

These women and girls exist.

這些婦女和女孩是存在的。

And the reason I'm telling you this

我之所以告訴你們這些，

is because we were lucky enough to be born

是因為我們很幸運地成長在 一個非常舒適的處境下，

in very comfortable circumstances.

We won the birth lottery.

我們贏得了出生樂透。

These women have values.

這些女性有價值，

They exist.

她們是存在的，

The least we can do is honor them

我們至少可以向她們表示敬意，

and not look away.

不要迴避。

Thank you.

謝謝你們。

(Applause)

（掌聲）