Slideshow
“So we exist”: A photo exhibition shedding light on workers in the shadows
On the occasion of the conference on 'Regulating for Decent Work' from 8-10 July 2015, the ILO is hosting an exhibition by Bangladeshi photojournalist Ismail Ferdous.
The photo exhibition “So we exist” tells the stories of people in unreachable communities around the world working in fields such as construction and the leather industry. It also depicts the aftermath of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, labour migration in the Persian Gulf and modern-day slavery in Central America and South East Asia.
Official website of the photographer Ismail Ferdous
A female brickfield worker in Ashulia, near Dhaka, Bangladesh. With the recent boom in the construction industry, brickfields provide seasonal employment to thousands of migrant workers.
© Ismail Ferdous
A construction worker on the tallest building in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Construction workers play an important part in the growth of Bangladesh’s economy, yet many lack training and social protection.
© Ismail Ferdous
Workers on their way to the garment factories in Chittagong, the largest port city of Bangladesh. More than four million people work in this industry.
© Ismail Ferdous
A rescue worker in the rubble of Rana Plaza, four days after the disaster.
© Ismail Ferdous
This woman came to look for her sister's body 10 days after Rana Plaza collapsed.
© Ismail Ferdous
A woman farmer works in a cotton field in Suruc, Turkey, close to the border with Syria.
© Ismail Ferdous
A floating vegetable market in Dal Lake, Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir, India.
© Ismail Ferdous
A child works in hazardous conditions in the leather industry. Hazaribag, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
© Ismail Ferdous
A woman worker arranges the processed leather pieces in a field so they can dry. Hazaribag, Dhaka. A large number of women work in the leather industry in Bangladesh.
© Ismail Ferdous
A migrant worker in his camp in Dubai, UAE
© Ismail Ferdous
A Cambodian girl with a young baby in a slum of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She was sold as a bride and used as a sex slave for more than two years in a village in China. She gave birth after she was repatriated.
© Ismail Ferdous
Marline (18) was trafficked to Mazate Escuintla, Guatemala. She was rescued on 23 Feb 2014, after more than six months in slavery. Guatemala City.
© Ismail Ferdous
Official website of the photographer Ismail Ferdous