Photo Voice Children's Perspective on Road Safety
Safe Kids Foundation and FedEx launched a unique project - Photo Voice. It is an extension of the Safe Kids Walk This Way program. The project aimed at capturing the pedestrian enviornment as percieved by children.
Road accidents claim about 1.2 million people around the world every year. Most of these deaths occur in middle to low-income countries and among vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians (World Health Organization, 2007).
To better understand pedestrian safety across the globe and to educate children about road traffic safety, Safe Kids Worldwide is striving to illustrate the risks children face as pedestrians through Photojournalism Project. The project is being carried out in seven major world cities Sao Paulo-Brazil, Toronto-Canada, Shanghai-China, Mumbai-India, Seoul-South Korea, Manila-Philippines, and Major Cities in the U.S.
The main purpose of this project is to capture the pedestrian environment / reality from the eyes of children utilizing photography by student.
Mumbai, with its traffic and over population, has its own hazards and challenges. This intensifies the need to understand hazards children face as pedestrains and develop strategies to lessen the same. Eighteen children, mainly from Bharat Scouts and Guides, participated in this project
The project started with an orientation program for parents and volunteers and an Educational Session on Pedestrian Safety for children.
Mr. Nrupen Madhvani, eminent photographer, guided the children in the use of the camera and requested them to focus on the project of highlighting the hazards on the road and to click pictures according to their own unique experiences and perceptions.
The children were then taken on field trips to 3 areas of Mumbai - Chembur, Churchgate/CST and Mahim. The areas were selected to get a view of south, central and suburban Mumbai.
A group discussion on selected photographs of each child highlighted the dangers perceived by children on roads like talking on mobiles while driving or crossing the road, more than two people on two-wheeler, riding on two-wheeler without helmets, jay walking etc.
These photographs and write-ups is a part of a Worldwide Photo Exhibition. .
To view the online version of this exhibit with additional photographs please visit www.safekids.org/walk
In Mumbai an exhibition was held on 27th & 28th September 2008,at Scouts-Guide Pavilion, Veer Savarkar Marg, Shivaji Park,Dadar, Mumbai 400 028. The Exhibition was inaugurated by Mr. Sanjay Barve Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic.
