Film As Therapy for Defied Children
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Date
2024
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Publisher
International Journal of Religion
Abstract
Child abuse is a threat that impedes the mental health of victims. In Nigeria, rape and other sexual violence are prevalent. It has become a silent
killer due to stigma and emotional torture, attracting Nigerian filmmakers’ attention. This article focused on the ordeal associated with sexual
abuse of the girl-child given her vulnerability. However, the cure and management of the repercussions of abuse have been more medical than
visual therapies such as film. However, art-based research has shown that visual therapies are also incontrovertible alternatives to pharmaceutically
based treatments. The study selected and analysed, Nollywood’s Dry and Hollywood’s The Colour Purple as therapy for victims who were
sexually abused as children. The films’ representations of inhuman experiences collectively summarize our imagination of hell. We conclude that
its cathartic and prescriptive messages provide adequate lessons to resist negative perception, reduce trauma and encourage healing.