Stephanie Demner is an Argentine model and she posted some photos on her Instagram from her recent visit to Cancun and it shows a boy whom she hugs lovingly, while he holds a clothes hanger apparently selling woven bracelets.
Although the photograph surpassed the 65 thousand “Likes”a couple of tweeters Diego Velazquez and Leo Cherni (Mexican and Argentine, respectively) they published them for their part criticizing the attitude of the model, which have been shared more than 36,000 times and have received over hundreds of comments.
Let’s talk about that custom that people have of traveling to the Caribbean and always taking a picture with a low-class kid from out there, they want not to seem racist but I think this makes it even more racist. pic.twitter.com/DwVlBsEzdJ
– Cross out the double (@leocherni) February 9, 2018
“How beautiful you are, little brown boy, we are all brothers. Now go ahead and keep selling bracelets in the sun, little brother.”pic.twitter.com/D1zD4pxAhG
— User of Social Networks. (@DiegoKermit) February 10, 2018
One of the most frequent remarks in Twitter is that Demner used the image of a working child to promote himself. Hours after the publication and given the amount of criticism, the author decided to disable the comments and wrote a justification. “For those who are commenting that it is child labor, this is far from it. The father sold the bracelets and Alex (the youngest) accompanied him because he had no one to stay with and he stayed with me for a while playing. Nothing else! ”, Says the caption of the photo in Instagram.
The photos of personalities on social networks that include children working or living in poverty have been criticized by users and even by various organizations and human rights defenders globally.
At the end of last year the project Radi-Aidof Norwegian International Assistance Fund for Students and Scholarsposted a video on YouTube and Facebook to fight stereotypes of tourists and activists traveling to Africa and other places with social inequalities. According to their page, they seek to prevent famous people from publishing images with people in poverty or with economic and/or food deficiencies with the aim of self-promotion.
The group has published a decalogue of good behavior on social networks for those who vacation, spend a gap year or volunteer in countries with social problems. This decalogue is based on four basic principles: promote human dignity, obtain informed consent for images, question the intentions of those who capture the photographs and help break down stereotypes about nationalities or social groups in the world.
Child labor is a problem that afflicts a large number of minors in Mexico, and is very common in tourist areas. According to figures from the Unicef, 3.6 million children and adolescents between 5 and 17 years of age do some type of work. This is equivalent to 12.5% of the child population in this same age range. Of them, 1.1 million are under 14 years of age; that is, they have not met the minimum age to work established by the Federal Labor Law in the country.
Here are Radi-Aid’s recommendations for sharing images:
- Ask yourself: “What is my intention in sharing this post?”
- Obtain informed consent from the person in the image and/or the caregiver (or guardian). If you can’t explain why you’re taking a photo, find a translator.
- Know the name and context of the people portrayed.
- Offer a copy of the photo to the person.
- Avoid extensive or simplified generalizations, include informative text with name, place, etc.
- Be respectful of different cultures and traditions.
- Ask yourself, “Would I have appreciated being portrayed the same way?”
- Avoid sensitive and vulnerable situations and places, such as hospitals and clinics.
- Do not portray yourself as the hero in the story you are about to share.
- Challenge perceptions, break down stereotypes!
How to have more likes on social networks if you travel to Africa.
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Taken from VERNE