– so Richard Lovelace wrote to his love Althea while imprisoned by the Roundheads during the Civil War. Apparently the BBC thinks that Lovelace’s philosophy is also an appropriate attitude for fallen women imprisoned in an Iranian House of Compassion. Although the story does make clear that the inmates are imprisoned, it is referred to as a “shelter”.
Commenter “pounce” examines the BBC story:
They include runaways, drug addicts and prostitutes. Many are suffering from severe mental health problems.”
Oh we have runaways (from what?) drug addicts and prostitutes why they even throw in the catch all “severe mental health problems” in other words what the BBC is saying is that every women there is partly to blame.
But it gets better contrast the above Oasis statement with the following;
The house rules say that women brought in by the police, cannot leave unless their families take them back. “I want to get out here,” she says, “I want to live my life, go shopping and go to the park with my friends.””
Oasis, more like a Prison. But just to reinforce it’s the women’s fault angle promulgated by the BBC they insert this;
“Her face is clouded by the shadows of drug addiction. When she holds up her hands, her fingers are permanently clenched – the tendons in her wrist have been severed by repeated suicide attempts.”
See its all her fault. But not to worry the BBC does try to claim that the refuge come prison does try to help them out, (but with little success)
“Staff at the shelter have tried to help the women turn their lives around by organising training courses and teaching them new skills. But so far they’ve met with little success. For many of the residents, it’s just too late to make a new start.”
Err BBC how about what’s the point of learning a new trade if you can’t leave the 4 walls of said refuge unless accompanied by one of the prison wardens.
“They like it when the staff take them on outings to the city. And they would love it if someone could buy them a tape recorder so they could have some music.”
It seems BBC that the above was written by somebody working at the ministry of disinformation in Tehran.
The BBC and half a story.
pounce
The House of Compassion in Teheran has many parallels with the Magdalen Laundries in Ireland. The attitude of the BBC to these institutions was different. It commissioned “a powerful new BBC screenplay.”
UPDATE: An anonymous commenter writes, “The photo caption says “Some of the women are reluctant to leave this haven of safety”!”
