Alex Masi is an Italian photojournalist who is deeply engaged in documenting and exposing issues of human-made injustices, focusing mainly on children: their living conditions, health and rights. His images have been widely published and exhibited internationally.
In this photograph, a seven year old girl is sitting inside her home in Indira Nagar, near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, central India. Three decades after the infamous ‘1984 Gas Disaster’ in Bhopal, around 100,000 people are chronically ill from the effects of the poisonous gas-leak, while hazardous drinking water has caused a sharp increase in birth defects and disabilities in children.
The Allard Prize Photography Competition jury selected this photograph as it depicts the impact that can follow from unchecked business practices and the long-term consequences of corporate actions on children and their communities.