Argentina - through the lens of young slum dwellers

Two dozen young slum dwellers in Buenos Aires began filming a documentary about themselves this month, in an attempt to break down the negative stereotypes with which they are portrayed in the media. "Kids Filming: We Are Not Dangerous; We Are in Danger!" is the title of the film they are shooting in the La Cava neighbourhood north of Buenos Aires proper, where more than 10,000 people live in shacks without running water or sanitation. The slum, which local authorities have been gradually working to upgrade and regularise since 2001, has an image of being a den of juvenile delinquents and drug addicts, and media coverage of the area has exacerbated that reputation. "People think we're all drug addicts and delinquents in La Cava," said one of the budding young filmmakers, 16-year-old Melina Martínez, who lives with her mother, grandmother and sisters. "But we're not all the same. There are people here who go to work every day at 4:00 AM."