Luke Frantz
English 102 041W
Professor Leslie Jewkes
November 12, 2012
Beneath the Surface
The documentary “Children Underground” demonstrated moments of drama; it depicts sadness on a scale unseen by many Americans with the all too common truth of how cruel children can be to one another; even under horrific circumstances. Poverty across the world is always a depressing reality with “over 600 million children worldwide living in absolute poverty - an estimated 1 in 4” (CHIP). There are many similarities and differences on this unfortunate matter both within the United States and around the globe.
The picture takes you underground with a rather small group of children; both a mixture of boys and girls that are forced, or have at some point chosen to live in a railway system beneath a Romanian city. The film’s premise is a first hand look into the lives and struggles these young children have to endure while surviving under horrid living conditions. With nearly ten million children under the age of five dying each year from preventable causes (CHIP), the film depicts the wretched effects that poverty has on these young children, pertaining to the rape of young girls, the savage beatings for possession of food and drugs, and the creative ways these children learn to survive. Although in other countries there will always be differences in relation to poverty, these characteristics draw similar patterns to poverty in the United States. For example: 21% of children live in families that live below the federal poverty level which is $22,350 per year for a family of four (Child Poverty). It goes to show that no matter where you are located on a map serves no matter: “child poverty threatens not only the individual child, but is likely to be passed on to future generations, entrenching and even exacerbating inequality in society” (Social and Economic Policy).
With 20,000 homeless children alone in Romania this issue breaches on the seams of an epidemic. After the Cold War a ban was placed on abortion and contraceptives leaving thousands of children and families homeless or in atrocious living conditions (Children Underground). Romania is ranked highest in rates of child poverty around the world, with the United States coming in a close second (Knafo, Saki). Families in Romania were having kids they could not support, and these conditions led many to run away from home finding shelter and comfort with people who have undergone similar circumstances. The daily life of these children involves foraging for food, begging for money, and getting high on a paint substance called Aurolac that is huffed through plastic bags. While observing a feeling of despair and helplessness, there appeared to be a notion that something should be done for these children, for instance, some type of government intervention or housing programs to get their lives on track. Yet, sadly, there are very few programs in place that can offer a fresh start or a family to nurture and teach them advantageous life skills. Malnutrition at a young age can also lead to learning disorders and poor health (CHIP), which can in turn effect the rest of their lives. These young years of development are crucial for laying the ground work for the type of people they will become, so not only will it effect their adolescence; it could also be detrimental to their adulthood.
Living in an underground train station during adolescence and battling drug addiction, while most children are safely in bed under the protection of their parents or guardians, is a luxury many of these children have never known. Scene by scene, you become more familiar with the children, their problems, and their life story. As this awareness arises so does the question of why? And how? This is an all too tragic occurrence that the natives of Romania seem desensitized to and the look of annoyance is more prevalent than sorrow. As the story builds, you come to the conclusion that there will be no ending. That yes, the cameras will be shut off and the credits will roll, but there was no real solution: that the film was simply providing an inside look into the lives of these Romanian children.
It is clear how the attitude of the kids is greatly affected by their use of huffing Aurolac. They feel as though everything negative done in their life is rooted to the faults of their parents or parental figures. They fail to realize the continuous drug use is a major reason as to why they blame others for their actions. This too can be seen with drug abuse all around the world. Huffing the substance results in a fog that obscures perception; a fog so dense they fail to see any other alternatives. Ana (a young girl in the film) is a prime example of how drug abuse can lead to feelings of suicide and hopelessness. Her inability to see her actions as detrimental has guided her to the brink of death. Ana comes from a decent family with a loving mother, yet, the family is poor and without work in which they can no longer afford to feed or take care of Ana and her younger brother, Mihai. These circumstances lead Ana to take her younger brother on the streets of Romania where they now battle with addiction and struggle with acquiring basic necessities like water. These issues might seem extreme, but Ana remarks on numerous occasions on how she and her brother prefer life on the streets to life at home. Nearly all the children have similar stories in that they felt forced or at some point decided to leave home. The freedom of not having to worry about school or abuse lead many of the kids to a life on the street. A life maybe not suitable for everyone, but a life that the children have found comfort in.
So why? And what was the point? Awareness is power, but awareness is also disheartening as the truth can often times sting. These correlations reflect poverty across the United States, but not nearly under as drastic of scale. Programs world-wide have been implemented in the effort to illuminate poverty but with family dynamics always shifting and child abuse happening all over the world, extinguishing the problem is a far away goal. Really, all we can do, as it currently seems, is draw similarities into our own culture, help fight the problem here, take what lessons we have learned on our own door step then share the results with the world.
As the film comes to a close it does display that through all the angst and sorrow that sometimes a little bit of light does shine through a tunnel of darkness. Mihai, one of the main children followed and examined throughout the film, seems as if he is on the brink of becoming tangled in the coils of the streets, and becoming addicted to the downward spiral of a life of poverty. His sister Ana has major problems and they both have unspoken issues at home that lead them to the streets of Bucharest. Right when it seems inevitable that yet another child is going to fall victim to a short life of drugs and sleeping on the cold concrete of a dark and dangerous subway; filled with competition and abuse, the kids get word that they can now move back home. This was due to government intervention and the threat of fines and child endangerment if the family continued to allow Ana and Mihai to live on the streets. Yet, with an over abundance of sadness it still brought a smile to the face to see at least one happy ending.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew) is a Bible verse that has always stood out. It speaks on behalf of the hardships we endure during this life, but provides hope for a better chance in the next. When all has been taken we learn to appreciate the little things, and we grow stronger. Though unfortunate, with the sacrifices these children make on the streets we are given an opportunity to help correct the issue through understanding the problems and searching for creative solutions.
Works Cited
Ch il
Children Underground. Dir. Edet Belzberg. 2001. DVD.
Matthew. King James Bible. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Knafo, Saki. "U.S. Child Poverty Second Highest Among Developed Nations: Report." The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 May 2012. Web. 01 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/30/us-child-poverty-report
unicef_n_1555533.html>.
"CHIP - Knowledge for Tackling Childhood Poverty."
Childhood Poverty Research and Policy
Centre -. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov.
2012. <http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/>.
"Social and Economic Policy." UNICEF. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/index_childpoverty.html>.
"Child Poverty." NCCP. N.p., n.d. Web. 06
Nov. 2012.
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