The world as I see it

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Cambodia | Thursday, October 14, 2010 | 5 photos

In January of 2010 I traveled to the Kingdom of Cambodia for the first time. On my arrival I was immediately overcome by the kindness and generosity of a people who have endured so much and paid witness to many unspeakable atrocities against humanity.
It was however the sparkle of hope that I saw in the eyes of many village children, that has served as inspiration for not only these five images, but also for the beginning of a project that I hope will become a journey of discovery and inspiration for myself and everyone who is involved with it now and in the future.
The year 2010 is the 20th anniversary of an international convention becoming international law. The Convention on the Rights of the Child is a legally binding international treaty that came into force on the 2nd of September 1990. The Convention's 54 Articles spell out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival, to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation, to participate fully in family, cultural and social life, and to develop to the fullest.
The five photos’ I have submitted are from a larger series which demonstrates the fact that all over Cambodia children are not afforded these most basic of human rights.
The series is entitled "Article #13" and has been the inspiration for a much larger photography mission in which 100 Cambodian children are given the visual tools to communicate their own stories. It is written within the Convention at Article 13 that: "The child shall have the right to freedom of expression....either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child's choice."
The reason and goal of my photo series is to raise awareness around the Convention and ensure it's effectiveness if I can.