Domestic workers
“No One Should Work This Way” – FCC exhibition of Steve McCurry photos to highlight domestic worker abuse
Photos of abused domestic workers, taken by the renowned photographer Steve McCurry, will be exhibited at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, during the month of May.
PHNOM PENH (ILO News) – Photos of abused domestic workers, taken by the renowned photographer Steve McCurry, will be exhibited at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, during the month of May.
In addition, a presentation and discussion on the photos and the issues they raise will be held on Thursday, 7 May.
The exhibition, “No One Should Work This Way: Preventing the abuse of domestic workers,” showcases portraits of domestic workers who have been physically or mentally abused by their employers.
The portraits are the product of an 18-month project by Mr McCurry and Karen Emmons, a Bangkok-based journalist, to raise awareness of the abuses that domestic workers endure and encourage governments and societies to take action. Working pro bono, the two interviewed and photographed domestic workers in Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines. They found physical and mental abuse, child labour, forced labour, trafficking, rape, starvation, unpaid wages, and restrictions on movement and communication.
Steve McCurry is best known for his picture of a young refugee known as the “Afghan Girl”, which was a cover of National Geographic magazine. He has won numerous awards including the National Press Photographers Award four times, the Olivier Rebbot Award twice, the Robert Capa Gold Medal, the Centenary Medal for Lifetime Achievement and the Magazine Photographer of the Year.
Karen Emmons is an American journalist who has lived and worked in Asia for the past 25 years. Her stories have appeared in numerous publications, including LIFE magazine, the Far Eastern Economic Review, Time, People, Reader’s Digest, The South China Morning Post, International Herald Tribune and London Sunday Times.
The advocacy project was funded by the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. The ILO estimates there are more than 52 million domestic workers in the world, most of whom lack even basic workers' rights protection. In 2011 a new ILO Convention specifically covering the rights of domestic workers came into force but so far it has only been ratified by 17 countries.
The pictures will be on show from Friday 1 May. The opening event will be held on Thursday, 7 May at 6.30pm. Ms Emmons will talk about the project and the domestic workers they met, while ILO experts will be on hand to explain the broader issues. The exhibition will run until Sunday, 7 June. The FCC is open 7 a.m. until midnight. Admission is free. The FCC Phnom Penh can be found at 363 Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
For more information visit www.ilo.org/asia or www.facebook.com/events/1412855132354505/ or contact:
Sophy Fisher
ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific – Bangkok
Tel: +966 2 (0) 2288 2584
Email
FCC Phnom Penh
Tel: 855 23 724 014
Email
In addition, a presentation and discussion on the photos and the issues they raise will be held on Thursday, 7 May.
The exhibition, “No One Should Work This Way: Preventing the abuse of domestic workers,” showcases portraits of domestic workers who have been physically or mentally abused by their employers.
The portraits are the product of an 18-month project by Mr McCurry and Karen Emmons, a Bangkok-based journalist, to raise awareness of the abuses that domestic workers endure and encourage governments and societies to take action. Working pro bono, the two interviewed and photographed domestic workers in Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines. They found physical and mental abuse, child labour, forced labour, trafficking, rape, starvation, unpaid wages, and restrictions on movement and communication.
Steve McCurry is best known for his picture of a young refugee known as the “Afghan Girl”, which was a cover of National Geographic magazine. He has won numerous awards including the National Press Photographers Award four times, the Olivier Rebbot Award twice, the Robert Capa Gold Medal, the Centenary Medal for Lifetime Achievement and the Magazine Photographer of the Year.
Karen Emmons is an American journalist who has lived and worked in Asia for the past 25 years. Her stories have appeared in numerous publications, including LIFE magazine, the Far Eastern Economic Review, Time, People, Reader’s Digest, The South China Morning Post, International Herald Tribune and London Sunday Times.
The advocacy project was funded by the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. The ILO estimates there are more than 52 million domestic workers in the world, most of whom lack even basic workers' rights protection. In 2011 a new ILO Convention specifically covering the rights of domestic workers came into force but so far it has only been ratified by 17 countries.
The pictures will be on show from Friday 1 May. The opening event will be held on Thursday, 7 May at 6.30pm. Ms Emmons will talk about the project and the domestic workers they met, while ILO experts will be on hand to explain the broader issues. The exhibition will run until Sunday, 7 June. The FCC is open 7 a.m. until midnight. Admission is free. The FCC Phnom Penh can be found at 363 Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
For more information visit www.ilo.org/asia or www.facebook.com/events/1412855132354505/ or contact:
Sophy Fisher
ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific – Bangkok
Tel: +966 2 (0) 2288 2584
FCC Phnom Penh
Tel: 855 23 724 014