According to a widely accepted definition of the term proposed by journalist Matt Collins in 2009, poverty porn is “any type of media, be it written, photographed or filmed, which exploits the poor’s condition to generate the necessary sympathy for selling newspapers, increasing charitable donations, or support for a given cause.” Overall, it misrepresents the poor and denies them their dignity, and it deceives both the helper and the helped.
Even though Balochistan in Pakistan is as large as some countries in the world, the media tends to portray it as a poor and neglected area. While these depictions contain some truth, their portrayal blurs the line between menace and sentimentality, presenting problematic examples of “poverty porn,” which exploits the plight of the poor to garner sympathy, money, or web traffic. This article focuses on the impact of poverty porn in Balochistan, calling for better treatment of the people of Balochistan and a better portrayal of their plight.
Furthermore, media houses, NGOs, and social media activists tend to convey the difficult situation of Balochistan and its people to create empathy. Even so, it is crucial and highly urgent to analyze the intent and methodology of these representations. Usually, poverty porn distorts conditions to revive people’s interests, provides little context, and uses people’s images and narrations without their permission; it reproduces the detrimental stigma of powerlessness and reliance. What effect would such a depiction have?
The impact of these descriptions is very negative. Such portrayals of hopelessness impact people’s self-esteem accompanying decisions and autonomy, encouraging a culture of begging while stagnating local development initiatives. Moreover, long-term negative portrayal influences the understanding of Balochistan and thus hinders investment, tourism, and development opportunities. Hence, after some time, the audience is likely to become fatigued and lose the ability to sympathise and donate.
In this case, we can see ethical representation as the key to reducing the negative effects highlighted above. The media and organizations need to provide examples of how people can emerge stronger from adversity and achieve new developments and progress. This response makes contextual reporting, which relates to the act of detailed reporting of the causes of poverty, help in teaching concerned stakeholders the policy issues instead of attributing the difficulty in its eradication to personal shortcomings. Thus, the fact that all the portrayed people were willing and their cases were presented with proper concern for their identities as victims is quite important. Collaborating with local communities can lead to more accurate and empowering representations. Lastly, the focus should shift from merely highlighting problems to showcasing solutions and initiatives making a positive impact.
Therefore, it is pertinent to draw attention to the issues facing Balochistan, while also emphasizing the importance of eradicating the concept of poverty porn. Ethical representation also pays homage to the agency of the people of Balochistan and improves the dialogue about their prospects. In this way of focusing on the human side of the stories, giving context, and focusing on solutions, it is possible to bring about a more balanced and empowering representation of Balochistan, along with a framework for bringing about constructive change.
Focusing on the fact that media and NGOs operating and functioning in Balochistan should change their method of projecting the people of Balochistan and start projecting Balochistan in a more ethical way beyond the lens of poverty porn In this way, it is possible to shift from focusing on the negative aspects of Balochistan to a focus on its positive aspects and potential and look at the people of Balochistan not as helpless but as a strong and aspiring population that can successfully manage the difficulties facing it. What Balochistan lacks is not coverage of the poor, the downtrodden, and the misery they have to go through daily; rather, it is an elaborate depiction of the change they want, the change they aspire for and want to bring about for the country.
Author: Mehmood Ali
Research Assistant at Balochistan Think Tank Network (BTTN)
