Hard-hitting images of kids in Filipino jails win CARE's humanitarian photographic award at the internationally acclaimed photo festival in Perpignan

5 September 2006

Photographer Hazel Thompson, following in the footsteps of famous documentary photographer Tom Stoddart – who won the same award in 1997 – gained exclusive access to the jails by posing as an NGO worker.

The 27-year-old, who works from her studio in Crystal Palace, first got a taste for photojournalism working on a local paper (the Croydon Advertiser), straight out of school. Later, the Beckenham resident worked with some of the biggest names in the business – including John Downing and Tom Stoddart, who encouraged her to tell stories through pictures.

Now, winning CARE’s annual Humanitarian Reporting Award with her report, Kids behind bars, Ms Thompson said: “My passion is for photographing stories I believe in, pictures I know will make a difference. It’s not just about the stories – although the impact of getting powerful photographs published is important. It is about giving a voice to the unheard. Communicating through images to show people the truth and then giving them a chance to respond.

“I’ve worked with charities on a range of stories from rape survivors in South Africa to teenagers who are socially excluded in Romania because they have HIV. I really immerse myself in the stories when I tell them, because something triggers me to respond.”

 

For her report, Kids behind bars in Filipino jails, Ms Thompson witnessed the tragic state in which thousands of illegally detained children are confined in adult prisons, enduring serious abuses. Posing as an aid worker, she got into the jails to take the harrowing photographs.

Ms Thompson believes in working closely with charities, taking pictures to support their campaigns, exposing the truth and injustice so the people who see them to join in to help bring change, or raise money.

Geoffrey Dennis, chief executive of CARE International UK, said: “CARE works with some of the poorest and most marginalised people in 70 countries around the world. We know that photography plays such an important role in bringing the realities of the developing world to a wide audience and can really inspire people to do something.”

The CARE award, run together with the International Photojournalism Festival in Perpignan and the French Ministry of Culture, recognises the work of photographers who raise awareness among the public and opinion formers alike about hidden or forgotten problems around the world, about the reality of extreme poverty and with humanitarian values at the very heart.

Notes:

• CARE International fights poverty and injustice in more than 70 countries around the world, working with some of the poorest and most marginalised people. One of the top three global development agencies, we help millions of people each year find a way out of poverty

• The 18th International Photojournalism Festival “VISA POUR L’IMAGE -Perpignan”, which takes place this week (w/c September 4), is a celebration of some of the best examples of photojournalism in the world

• CARE’s award, which was first established in 1994, is organised with Perpignan Festival’s director, Jean-François Leroy and is open to all professional and independent photographers. It will be awarded on Wednesday (September 6) and the prize money is 8,000 Euros.
The jury this year was made up of:
President of Honor: Jean François Leroy
President of the jury: Mireille Darc
Constance Poniatowski (Version Femina) – Frédérique d’Anglejan (VSD) - Daphné Angles (New York Times) - Barbara Clément (ELLE) - Delphine Lelu (Images Evidence) - Sylvie Grumbach (2ème Bureau)