honorable mention
VALERIE LEONARD france
title
SILVER HANDS
Such an industry creates a huge source of employment. Many of these workers are children under the age of 15. Many factory owners often prefer to employ children because they are cheaper and more obedient than adults. They work more than 10 hours a day for a salary of €1.50 a day. The lives of these working children are hard, but compared to homeless children on the street, they are considered luckier. Without an education and trapped in low-paying jobs that link them more to the cycle of poverty, they are likely to work all their lives in aluminum factories.
In 2013, Bangladesh made moderate progress in its efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. According to the 2006 Labor Act, the legal minimum age for working is 14 years. However, 93% of children work in the informal sector, in small factories, on the streets, in home-based businesses or at home. The enforcement of labor laws is virtually impossible. Many children are still doing dangerous work in the country.
When she presses the shutter, she remembers the doctrine of her father: "Always tell the Truth, but in terms of Beauty".
Valerie Leonard strives for her work to embody to this search for truth and beauty of human beings, whatever their origin or wealth.
Far from seeking aesthetic or false compassion, she wants to show the dignity of these women and men, in particularly hostile environments.
Throughout her trips around the world she focused her work particularly on a theme that she named “Labours of Hercules”.
A series of photographs where she attempts to show with utmost respect and admiration the nobility and courage of those living in difficult conditions.
back to gallery
entry description
There are many aluminum factories in Bangladesh where different types of pots and pans are made from recycled and melted aluminum. To produce an aluminum pan, bowl, kettle or kettle, this aluminum must first be melted, transformed into ingots, rolled and then cut into discs. Then comes anodizing, a chemical process to prevent objects from rusting. The aluminum discs are dipped in sulfuric acid and then caustic soda. The work is dangerous and toxic. The discs are then formed with the force of the arms on rotating machines to obtain the kitchen utensils. The final touch is the sandpaper polishing that you attach to your hands and feet.Such an industry creates a huge source of employment. Many of these workers are children under the age of 15. Many factory owners often prefer to employ children because they are cheaper and more obedient than adults. They work more than 10 hours a day for a salary of €1.50 a day. The lives of these working children are hard, but compared to homeless children on the street, they are considered luckier. Without an education and trapped in low-paying jobs that link them more to the cycle of poverty, they are likely to work all their lives in aluminum factories.
In 2013, Bangladesh made moderate progress in its efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. According to the 2006 Labor Act, the legal minimum age for working is 14 years. However, 93% of children work in the informal sector, in small factories, on the streets, in home-based businesses or at home. The enforcement of labor laws is virtually impossible. Many children are still doing dangerous work in the country.
about the photographer
Born in Paris, french-american, Valerie Leonard has always been surrounded by a world of images. Her mother was a painter, and her father, photographer, Herman Leonard.When she presses the shutter, she remembers the doctrine of her father: "Always tell the Truth, but in terms of Beauty".
Valerie Leonard strives for her work to embody to this search for truth and beauty of human beings, whatever their origin or wealth.
Far from seeking aesthetic or false compassion, she wants to show the dignity of these women and men, in particularly hostile environments.
Throughout her trips around the world she focused her work particularly on a theme that she named “Labours of Hercules”.
A series of photographs where she attempts to show with utmost respect and admiration the nobility and courage of those living in difficult conditions.
back to gallery