P E R S P E C T I V E S or Visual Media in Humanitarian Crises IS M A IL F e r d O U S is a B a n g la d e s h -b a s e d p h o t o j o u r n a l i s t a n d f r e e l a n c e r w h o s e w o r k fo c u s e s o n h u m a n r ig h ts . H is p a s t p r o je c t s h a v e c o v e r e d c l i m a t e c h a n g e , h e a lt h , a n d t h e g a r m e n t in d u s t r y , a n d h is w o r k h as r e c e i v e d a h o s t o f a w a r d s , in c lu d in g o n e s f r o m t h e W o r l d B a n k a n d t h e W H O . S ince the camera was invented in 1826, it has been used to docum ent everything from social injustice, inequality, famine, war, and hum an rights abuses to uplifting scenes o f hum anity, b ro th erh o o d , victory, love, and hope. Because photography has the power to visually reveal the truth, th roughout history photographs have made huge impacts on social consciousness and ultim ately shaped public opinion on m any destructive governm ent policies. T ake, for example, the power o f television during the V ietnam W ar. D uring the war, Americans were able to see the w ar’s im pact on both American soldiers and innocent civilians thro u g h th eir television screens for tire first time. Additionally, the bloody images o f war and pain, such as N ick U t ’s P ulitzer Prize-w inning “N apalm G irl,” added to the power o f the protests and unpopular public opinion that contributed to the U nited States’ ultim ate retreat. In this way, visual journalism can emphasize the costs and benefits o f policies by p utting a hum an face on issues th at appear abstract, o r immensely overwhelming and out- of-reach from afar. Because we live in the age o f globalism and technology, our actions have an even greater impact on o th er nations than ever before. T h ro u g h docum entary photography, we now have the ability to show and encourage understanding o f the perspective o f som eone who m ay live halfway across the world. By sharing these perspectives, view­ ers are compelled to think about how th eir decisions have a direct im pact on an o th er’s life thousands o f miles away. O ften, this knowledge spurs public debate on popular social media sites or in larger platform s such as news websites o r talk shows. T h ese debates can have strong effects on public opinion, and in this way, the media, traditionally known as the third branch o f government, can prevent self-interested parties such as governments and corporations from m onopo­ lizing laws and agendas. T h o u g h claims o f this public service drew m e to docu­ m entary photography, it wasn’t until I covered the Rana Plaza collapse th at I truly understood its necessity. O n April 24, 2013, the world watched in h o rro r as rescue services pulled bodies, both dead and alive, out of the Rana Plaza building. T h e building housed a garm ent factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and had collapsed that m orning.

1. P E R S P E C T I V E S
or Visual Media in Humanitarian Crises
IS M A IL F e r d O U S is a B a n g la d e s h -b a s e d p h o
t o j o u r n a l i s t a n d f r e e l a n c e r w h o s e
w o r k fo c u s e s o n h u m a n r ig h ts . H is p a s t p r o
je c t s h a v e c o v e r e d c l i m a t e
c h a n g e , h e a lt h , a n d t h e g a r m e n t in d u s t r y , a
n d h is w o r k h as r e c e i v e d a h o s t o f
a w a r d s , in c lu d in g o n e s f r o m t h e W o r l d B a n
k a n d t h e W H O .
S
ince the camera was invented in 1826, it has been
used to docum ent everything from social injustice,
inequality, famine, war, and hum an rights abuses
to uplifting scenes o f hum anity, b ro th erh o o d ,
victory, love, and hope. Because photography has
the power to visually reveal the truth, th roughout history
photographs have made huge impacts on social consciousness
and ultim ately shaped public opinion on m any destructive
governm ent policies.
T ake, for example, the power o f television during the
V ietnam W ar. D uring the war, Americans were able to see
the w ar’s im pact on both American soldiers and innocent
civilians thro u g h th eir television screens for tire first time.
Additionally, the bloody images o f war and pain, such as

2. N ick U t ’s P ulitzer Prize-w inning “N apalm G irl,” added to
the power o f the protests and unpopular public opinion that
contributed to the U nited States’ ultim ate retreat.
In this way, visual journalism can emphasize the costs
and benefits o f policies by p utting a hum an face on issues
th at appear abstract, o r immensely overwhelming and out-
of-reach from afar. Because we live in the age o f globalism
and technology, our actions have an even greater impact
on o th er nations than ever before. T h ro u g h docum entary
photography, we now have the ability to show and encourage
understanding o f the perspective o f som eone who m ay live
halfway across the world. By sharing these perspectives, view-
ers are compelled to think about how th eir decisions have
a direct im pact on an o th er’s life thousands o f miles away.
O ften, this knowledge spurs public debate on popular social
media sites or in larger platform s such as news websites o r
talk shows. T h ese debates can have strong effects on public
opinion, and in this way, the media, traditionally known as
the third branch o f government, can prevent self-interested
parties such as governments and corporations from m onopo-
lizing laws and agendas.
T h o u g h claims o f this public service drew m e to docu-
m entary photography, it wasn’t until I covered the Rana
Plaza collapse th at I truly understood its necessity. O n April
24, 2013, the world watched in h o rro r as rescue services
pulled bodies, both dead and alive, out of the Rana Plaza
building. T h e building housed a garm ent factory in Dhaka,
Bangladesh, and had collapsed that m orning. T h o u g h
cracks
appearing in the building walls the day before led workers
to say they would n o t re tu rn until the building was safe,
workers were pressured to return to w ork through threats o f
losing their whole m o n th ’s salary. U ltim ately killing 1,136

3. people and injuring m ore dian 2,000, the collapse marked
the deadliest factory catastrophe in the history o f th e global
[22] H A R V A R D I N T E R N A T I O N A L R E V I E W
• Sum m er2014 Photos C o u rte sy Ismail Ferdous
P E R S P E C T I V E S
garment industry.
T hough I had covered stories such as the effects of
climate change and HIV/AIDS on Bangladeshi communi-
ties, the tragedy of Rana Plaza is the most traumatic I have
ever experienced. T h e death, pain, chaos, and destruction
were reminiscent of a war zone. Even though the scene was
devastating, I knew that I had to push forward to document
these people’s stories. In doing so, I came across moments
that I will never forget.
On the first day of the collapse, I was trying to balance
photographing the scene with helping the hundreds of vol-
unteers rescue the survivors. After an hour, two volunteers
saying they wanted to show me something guided me to
two dead bodies under the rubble. A black cloth covered the
face of a woman clinging to the body of a man. It appeared
as though they were hugging, huddled together to survive.
Though I had been struggling with wanting to both photo-
graph and physically help, the sight of these two individuals
who had been caught in their last moments of life embracing
each other convinced me to keep shooting. In that moment,
ized that most people simply do not know where their clothes
come from. T o garner public opinion about the clothing
industry, I asked people along Fashion Avenue in Manhattan

4. if they knew where their clothes were produced. Many people
did not know, and some did not even care. I will never forget
one person’s response: “Maybe in some sweatshop in some
third world country? W ho cares? T h a t is life!”
T h e questions I asked myself, my friends and the re-
sponses I received from strangers about the global garment
industry gave me the courage and inspiration to push forward
with the issues surrounding the trade. After discussing my
concerns with filmmaker N athan Fitch, our project, “T he
Cost of Fashion,” was born. W e began work on a multimedia
piece to link the events surrounding the Rana Plaza col-
lapse and third world production to western consumerism
and cutthroat competition for low prices. W e also created
a website to serve as a platform for viewers to learn more
about the collapse and ways in which they can help. On
February 6, 2014, along with T he Illuminator, a political
art collective that has staged hundreds of interventions in
“Though claims of this public service drew me to documen-
tary photography, it wasn’t until I covered the Rana Plaza col­
lapse that I truly understood its necessity.”
I realized that it was my responsibility to bring the voices of
these people to the rest of the world through photographs.
T h e images I took showcase irresponsible policies and the
deadly cost of fashion.
Though I continued to document the aftermath of the
collapse for one month, it took longer to process all that
had unfolded. W hen I look at my photographs, I can still
hear the sounds of the victims’ families grieving. However,
even then, I knew that the photographs would eventually
be buried by the news and their stories would be forgotten
if I didn’t fight to make them known. After experiencing

5. the Rana Plaza tragedy firsthand, I wanted to spread my
photographs to share the unjust lives of garment workers
and motivate foreigners to take action.
This urge to do something greater became even stronger
when I visited New York City in October of 2013, only a few
months after the collapse. Seeing all of the large, fancy store
windows lined with sale and discount signs, I could not help
but think about the labels I saw in the rubble, the faces of
the family members who lost loved ones, and the inhumane
working conditions of the garment workers in Bangladesh.
T he contrast between these two worlds was unsettling. How
could people buy a pair of pants for only US$9, less than a
glass of wine? How is it possible that Bangladeshi garment
workers make US$38 a month while this same amount buys
dinner for two in NYC?
W hen discussing these issues with friends there, I real-
public spaces to bring awareness to various social issues, 99
Pickets, a workers’ solidarity group based in New York City,
and the International Labor Rights Forum, Mr. Fitch and I
arranged a protest on the first night of New York Fashion
Week. My images of the Rana Plaza collapse were projected
onto the buildings of the Lincoln Center and stores such
as T h e Children’s Place, one of many companies that still
owe compensation to the victims of Rana Plaza. As the night
progressed and we received reactions from people, I felt very
grateful that we were able to collectively work together to
represent the victims. For example, I remember that evening
a woman talked to me about how corporations are destroy-
ing future prospects of the world and exploiting third world
countries’ workers, which has a long term impact on the
western world. Comments like these reassured me that the
work we were doing was effective.

6. T heir voices reached even further when the documen-
tary that Mr. Fitch and I had been working on for months was
published in T he New York Times in April for the one-year
anniversary of the collapse. T he short documentary, “The
Deadly Cost of Fashion,” has since been viewed more than
400,000 times.
T he response was huge: I received hundreds of emails
from people who said the video helped them better un-
derstand how the consumerism drive in the western world
drives industry malpractices such as extremely low wages,
out-of-date safety practices, and an overall disregard for
Su m m er 2014 ‘ H A R V A R D I N T E R N A T I O N A L
R E V I E W [ z [ ]
P E R S P E C T IV E S
workers’ rights. Fashion designers, actresses, and activists
turned to blogs, Facebook, and Tw itter to comment on the
film. Canadian actress Alison Wandzura tweeted on the Cost
of Fashion page “N o more Joe-Fresh T-shirts for me,” in
reference to another company that has yet to compensate
the Rana Plaza victims and their families. Miriam Revert,
project manager of Slow Supply in Spain, wrote to me say-
ing that the video greatly inspired her slow fashion project,
which aims to encourage consumers to place more thought
in their purchases rather than falling subject to fast-fashion’s
constant onslaught of products that oftentimes creates a
need and pressure to buy into every season’s new trends.
Lala Lopez, a fashion journalist and consultant, included
my photographs from the collapse alongside a blog post for
the one-year anniversary. In it she included a moving quote
from Tara St. James of sustainable-clothing brand Study

7. NY: “As consumers we have been conditioned to want more,
faster and easier. W e have forgotten to ask questions and
we no longer recognize quality of construction. I believe the
only way to create change and stop future tragedies like the
one at Rana Plaza is to start asking questions and demand
accountability and transparency from designers, brands and
corporations. Buy better, but buy less.”
T hrough protests, the creation of the video and the
project, my goal is to not only bringing awareness to the
issue at hand but also to the work that remains to be done.
In May 2 013, just weeks after the Rana Plaza tragedy, over
35 brands and retailers entered into a unique compulsory
covenant with Bangladeshi and international trade unions,
with N G O s as witness participants and the International
A crushed man and woman embracing in the rubble of the
Rana Plaza collapse. Claiming 1,129 lives, the Rana Plaza
collapse is considered the deadliest garment factory incident
in history.
Labor Organization as a neutral chair. Over 100 apparel
brands and retailers have now signed the Accord on Fire
and Building Safety in Bangladesh, committing to work
together to ensure safety in almost half of the country’s gar­
m ent factories. T he Accord, which will run for five years,
includes impartial reviews by coached fire and building safety
experts, public reporting, mandatory repair and revamps
financed by brands. T he Accord is written in the form of a
binding contract, which makes these commitments legally
enforceable. On the other hand Alliance, which is a group
of 26 N orth American companies, formed to improve and
launch the Bangladesh W orker Safety Initiative, a binding,
five-year undertaking with the commitment of improving
safety in the Bangladeshi RM G sector after the collapse.
Subsequent to the Rana Plaza collapse, to improve the

8. condition of Bangladeshi garment factories, two organiza-
tions Accord and Alliance are working with the Bangladesh
University of Engineering and Technology and the ILO to
inspect the garment factories all over the country. Recently
they visited and inspected 508 factories out of the 626 under
their control, banning one factory in Chittagong and further
investigating five. Alliance also has plans to open a help line
to which workers from 50 factories can call to get support
or make complaints. Beginning in July of this year, A l l i a n c
e
will also train garment workers on fire training.
T o cover payments to Rana Plaza victims and their
families, the Rana Plaza Donors T rust Fund was established
in January 2 014 to collect contributions from all around the
world. Though the international brands and buyers are not
interested to donate funds to the Rana Plaza Donors T rust
Fund, international labor groups have been putting pressure
on the international brands and buyers to donate funds for
the victims. So far US$7 million have been donated to the
international fund, but US$40 million is needed for the
complete compensation. Fifteen companies out of the 29
companies that had clothing manufactured in the build-
ing have yet to give compensation to the Rana Plaza T rust
Fund. According to the Clean Clothes Campaign, the Rana
Plaza building housed factories that created clothing for 29
companies who, on average, made a profit of US$20 billion
per year.
T h e Rana Plaza C oordination C om m ittee, which
formed last September and is led by the International Labor
Organization (ILO), has dedicated itself to persuading gov-
ernments from the European Union, the United Kingdom,
the United States, Canada and others to pressure compen-
sation from these international companies which have not
paid the expected compensation.

9. T hrough my work with the Rana Plaza collapse victims
as well as with activists who work to put pressure on the com-
panies that still owe compensation to the victims, I realized
the role that photography plays in trying to create change.
I hope that by capturing and sharing my photographs with
the world, they will not only bring about more awareness but
also encourage people to take action. I believe it is the job
of journalists to digest the complexity of an issue and then
share the simplified version with general public. Although
[24| H A R V A R D I N T E R N A T I O N A L R E V I E W
• Summer 2014 P h o to s C o u r te s y Ism ail F erd o u s
P E R S P E C T I V E S
A rescue worker walks across the rubble of the collapsed Rana
Plaza commercial complex. The Bangladeshi army, fire
service personnel, police, and volunteers participated in a
rescue effort that continued for weeks after the April 24, 2013
collapse, ending on May 13.
activists work behind the scenes, oftentimes they are not
equipped with the tools to spread awareness through visual
means. Photographers provide that visual means to spread
information about an issue in an easily digestible way. For
example, the aim of the documentary “T h e Deadly Cost
of Fashion” was to help bridge the gap between clothing
productions in Bangladesh to the western consumer. By also
including a website for more information, the project “T he
Cost of Fashion” also helped connect activists to viewers
seeking more avenues to help. By combining multimedia,
photograph, and activism, “T he Cost of Fashion” can be

10. by transcending borders, religion, race, and social class and
provoke those around the world to step up and act. Thus, it
is our responsibility as media-makers to provide information
to others so that they can make more informed decisions.
W hen people are confronted by powerful imagery, they
have a choice: either look away from the image or address
the problem. Getting society and others to address the issues
through imagery is my aim as a photographer. T o meet this
responsibility, I keep in mind several questions while photo-
graphing: W hat kind of impact will this photo have on die
viewer? W hat kind of impact does it have on me? Does the
“Through the power of imagery, we are pushed to question our
core beliefs and our responsibilities to each other as
international
citizens. In this sense, photography has the power to shine an
un-
compromising light on critical issues... ”
considered a photo advocacy project.
I have seen changes in public consciousness brought on
by the power of photography, video, and activism. Society is
comprised of those afflicted by an issue, those responsible for
the issue, and those fighting to spread awareness about the
afflicted, and while I believe in the goodness of humanity,
a lack of information can lead to thoughdess and harmful
decisions. T hrough the power of imagery, we are pushed
to question our core beliefs and our responsibilities to each
ot her as international citizens. In tins sense, photography has
the power to shine an uncompromising light on crucial issues
photo tell an honest story of the subject? These questions
help me create a visual narrative that ultimately symbolizes a
larger issue, greater feelings, or significant events. W e some-

11. times put our lives on the line because we believe opinion and
influence matter. W e aim our pictures at people’s instincts,
consciences and compassion, and ultimately we leave them
with the choice to either deny or accept the truth at hand. I i I
Summer 2 0 1 4 * H A R V A R D I N T E R N A T I O N A L
R E V I E W [25]
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