Bangladesh
Deep in thought, Old Dhaka, February 2022
Dreamer with an ice-cream, Mirpur, Dhaka, March 2022
Day labourers unloading coal and the boy with an ice-cream, Mirpur, Dhaka, March 2022
Beside the Piyain. Jafflong. February 2023.
Jafflong is a small town in northern Bangladesh. Many local people are employed collecting stones from the Piyain river. The stones are then crushed and made into sand for use in the construction industry or for making tiles. The work is physically hard and badly paid. The woman in the foreground collects discarded plastic items to sell-on to recycling companies.
Sohaili, Dhaka, Bangladesh. February 2023.
Sohaili is one of a group of Hijra (third gender) that I met and spoke to several times at Kamalapur, Dhaka’s main train station. In Bangladesh, as in India and Pakistan, Hijra are legally recognised as a third gender, but still experience discrimination. They have particular difficulty finding employment. Most Hijra earn a living by giving blessings at weddings and on the birth of new babies as well as by collecting “donations” on the street and from shops. Some are involved in prostitution. Sohaili was collecting money at the busy ricksha stand outside the station. She said “I knew I was different when I was 12. My family accepted me but the neighbours said bad things about us and so I left my home in Barisal to come to Dhaka. I send money home to support my family”.
The girl on the train, Kamlapur, Dhaka, February 2022
Waiting for sugar cane juice near Kawran Bazar, Dhaka, March 2023
Shaking the onions, Kurigram Bazar, March 2023
Sorting the chillies, Kurigram Bazar, March 2023
Shiva celebrating Holi, Kurigram. March 2023.
During Holi, Hindus celebrate the beginning of Spring, reset troubled relationships and remember the love of the deities Radha and Krishna. Young people like to celebrate by spraying coloured powder solutions at each other. They also smear abir, a dry coloured powder, on the faces of their friends and family. Shiva’s family are Dalits, the lowest level in the caste system. They live in one of Kurigram’s “sweeper colonies”. Most of the community still work as cleaners. Despite legislation, they continue to be subject to discrimination, including in day-to-day life. Members of the Kurigram community reported that as well as living apart from others, they are prevented from entering shops and restaurants.
After school, Bihari children, Geneva refugee camp, Dhaka, March 2023
Children of Dipshikha School, Dinajpur, March 2023