UNICEF Photo of the Year

They survived the horrors of the Hamas massacre in their kibbutzim on October 7, 2023. They are fourteen and 13 years old, or 17 and taken hostage for 51 days. Their faces, such as that of eight-year-old Stav, are a window into their souls: they show confusion, desolation, and anguish.

Israeli photographer Avishag Shaar-Yashuv portrayed them in a hotel that was temporarily used as emergency shelter by many of the victims of the Hamas attack.

Avishag Shaar-Yashuv has hauntingly captured the look of children who see their previous lives lie completely in ruins.

They survived the bombing of residential areas in Gaza by the Israeli air force. They are two, four, five, nine, 13 or 15 years old. They have been dug out from under rubble. They are paralyzed, have lost their eyesight, arms, legs, hands, often their parents and sometimes even their entire family. Among them are Dareen, 11, and her brother Kinan, five years old, the only survivors of a family wiped out by an air strike. This picture, reminiscent of old master still life paintings, vividly shows the dignity of children even in the worst emotional distress.

Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf portrayed these children in a hospital in Qatar, where they were brought to safety.

Their faces show confusion, desolation, and anguish.

Formerly known as monkeypox, a rare viral disease known as mpox has been on the rise in parts of Africa for some time. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the worst affected countries with approx. 40,000 suspected cases, more than 8,000 confirmed cases and over 1,000 deaths so far. For the second time since 2022, the WHO has declared the highest alert level for the virus. There have also been confirmed cases of mpox in the USA and Germany.

Although there is a vaccine against mpox, the supply is insufficient, especially in poorer countries. Children are particularly at risk. The symptoms include a rash with blisters or sores (ulcers) and pneumonia, brain inflammation, eye infections and even loss of sight. French photographer Pascal Maitre went to the most affected areas and documented the treatment of children at Kavumu Hospital in the Kivu region in eastern Congo. One of them is seven-month-old Japhet, whose blisters are being treated with the antiseptic dye ‘Gentian Violet.’ His 19-year-old mother Christevi cares for and looks after the little one.

The health station where adults are also treated is only sparsely equipped. Nevertheless, it is still better there than the mud floor of their huts or in camps like the one in Busharaga. There, the virus can easily spread among the 16,000 internally displaced people.

According to a WHO study, one in ten children worldwide is born before the 37th week of pregnancy, meaning three weeks prematurely. Every missing week makes their start in life that much more difficult. This is especially true for extremely premature babies who sometimes have to take their first breaths after less than 32 or even 26 weeks of pregnancy, mostly the effect of insufficiently developed lungs and reduced kidney function. Worldwide, death resulting from premature birth is the second most common reason for not reaching the age of five.

Even in industrialized nations, there are more and more premature births, which is mainly because mothers are increasingly older at birth. However, medical care for premature babies has made great progress, at least in rich countries. It has even been possible to save a premature baby who was born at just 22 weeks, measuring only 26 centimeters and weighing a mere 245 grams.

French photographer Maylis Rolland’s photo series shows the wonderful moments at the University Hospital of Rennes, where the fragile lives of tiny babies are stabilized with the help of medical equipment and intensive human care. Like, for example, the moment when tiny Gabin, born after 25 weeks of pregnancy and still wearing a breathing mask, touches the face of his mother Doriane.

Each year since 2000, UNICEF Germany has awarded the “UNICEF Photo of the Year Award” to photos and photo series that best depict the personality and living conditions of children worldwide in an outstanding manner. Here you can see the award winners of the past 25 years.

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