Et billede af 11-årige Dania, som ligger kvæstet og traumatiseret af en granatsplint i den syriske by, Aleppo, fordi hun legede på gaden, vinder årets UNICEF foto i 2013. Det er taget af den svenske fotograf Niclas Hammerström, selv far til tre.
BERLIN, 7. MARCH 2014 (UNICEF): Hammerström is honored for his photo series “Syria’s “forgotten” child victims” on the life of children in Aleppo, northern Syria and the country´s largest city – see also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleppo
Photographers working in crisis regions hate war. They refuse to accept injustice and violence as an irrevocable part of human nature.
It is not the reporters who are cynical trying to give a voice or a face to the suffering and dying victims of war but rather those who have become used to the suffering.
Swedish photographer Niclas Hammarström traveled several times to the war-torn Syrian town of Aleppo. His goal was to show the power that war possesses over children.
The destruction, the incredible suffering and despair have left him deeply moved. In a hospital, on 15 October 2012, he met then eleven-year-old Dania, who was injured while playing on the street. Can you ever forget the look of her eyes?
(Her real name is withheld to protect her family)
Broderen holdt hendes blodige hoved
Dania had played outside with her little brother and sister, when she was hit by shrapnel and suffered facial (ansigts) injuries.
Her father and her two older brothers brought her to Dar-al-Shifa hospital. The pictures shows Dania’s oldest brother carefully holding her head while she is given an emergency bandage.
Dania could return home after her stay in hospital. The hospital itself was destroyed a few months later.
“Dania er en appel til os alle”
The international competition is organized for the 14th time by the German Committee for UNICEF in cooperation with GEO Magazine, published by Gruner + Jahr AG & Co KG.
“The Photo of the Year shows the face of the Syrian civil war – the face of an injured and severely traumatized child”, said Daniela Schadt, patroness of UNICEF Germany, adding:
“The look on the child’s face is an appeal to the international community to strengthen its diplomatic and humanitarian efforts in order to prevent the loss of an entire generation of children.”
“The photo series of UNICEF’s competition capture more than meets the eye. They also succeed in summarizing and analyzing the story behind the picture. They enable us to better understand the reality of children under very different circumstances”, said Jury Chairman Prof. Klaus Honnef.
“Too many Syrian children are growing up without an education, without skills, scarred mentally as well as physically”, said Tom Koenigs, Member of the Board of the German National Committee for UNICEF, adding:
“Yet these same children are the teachers, the doctors, the engineers, and above all, the peacemakers of tomorrow, upon whom the hope for a stable and peaceful future in Syria and the region will depend”.
“Their faces are captured in Niclas’ powerful images, and for whom more investment in education and protection is critical.”
Hammerström og journalist blev bortført
Syria is currently one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.
Despite this fact, Niclas Hammarström (Kontinent Agency) has traveled several times to Syria since the war started almost three years ago to capture the life of the children caught between the frontlines.
The pictures of his winning photo series were taken between October 2012 and January 2013. Last November, Niclas Hammarström and his fellow journalist Magnus Falkehed were abducted in Syria. They were released in early 2014.
According to UNICEF estimates, almost half of Syria’s children live in an acute state of emergency after three years of civil war. There is hardly a child who has not faced violence and destruction or lost a family member.
Due to the destruction of the medical infrastructure, wounded civilians can no longer be treated and diseases such as polio are on the rise. About three million children no longer attend school.
UNICEF provides help to children on both sides of the conflict: in Syria and its neighboring countries.
Yderligere oplysninger hos:
Ditte Hartvig, tlf. 51 25 62 09 eller [email protected]
Se også www.unicef.de/photo
