Production and Promotion of Short Films by Children of Central Sulawesi
A total of 179 cases of child marriage occurred in Palu, Central Sulawesi (DP3A Palu data, 2019). From October 2021 to November 2022, WVI's operational offices in Sigi, Palu and Donggala recorded 27 cases of child marriage.
One of the reasons for the large number of cases is the lack of understanding of child protection among children, parents and the community. To overcome this, WVI implemented the Pitu Mpole project. Pitu Mpole itself is a local language that refers to the traditional marriage culture of one of the tribes in Central Sulawesi. This project aims to conduct advocacy efforts to prevent child marriage through the production of visual communication products, one of which is short films.
The production process of the three short films was carried out by members of the Palu Children's Forum and the Sigi Children's Forum. The children became the production crew, actors, and also designed the promotion of the films. Amazingly, the short films are based on valid data. Before making the films, the Children's Forum first conducted research on child marriage in Central Sulawesi, especially in Sigi Regency and Palu City.
"By making this movie, children have many opportunities to develop themselves to the fullest. The most important message is that we should not imitate what the children in the movie are doing. Don't be like the character Salsa, even though she was an achiever, she had to forget her dreams because she was trapped in promiscuity and ended up getting married. We have dreams that must be achieved, and it need effort from a young age to prevent us from bad things, one of which is child marriage," said Jill, “Terlanjur” film director.
The three films also received positive responses when they made promotional tours to several schools. "Media like this needs to be given to children so that they can learn about child marriage. Many children in our school did not finish their education because they married at an early age. With this movie, it can give them lessons about the impact of child marriage, with the hope that they can complete their education until high school, if possible to college," said Irmayanti, one of the junior high school teachers in Sigi Regency.
More than promotion, on the same occasion the members of the Children's Forum also conducted education about child marriage. They also campaigned for "Stop Child Marriage" to their peers and invited parents and the community not to practice marrying children under the age of 18. This activity also involved health workers to provide education related to reproductive health and its relation to child marriage.
The movie was also screened during Palu’s National Children's Day celebration, which was watched by hundreds of children, parents, and government officials. Yudhi Riyanti Firman, S.Sos., M.Si, Head of the Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Office of Palu City, also watched and gave an appreciation. Yudhi expressed gratitude to WVI for assisting and involving the Children's Forum to take an active role in the filmmaking process until the films could be screened at the HAN celebration.
For you who are curious about these films made by the children of Sigi and Palu, please visit Wahana Visi Indonesia YouTube channel and enter the keywords “Terlanjur” and “Baku Bawa”. Enjoy watching and spreading positive messages about protecting children in Indonesia!
Author: Wilheina Agnesia (Sigi, Palu, Donggala Area Project staff)
Editor: Mariana Kurniawati (Communication Executive)
