On bone-dry land, severely affected by drought, two women search for their daily water supply. The winner of this year’s Photography4Humanity prize is Indian photographer Apratim Pal, for his picture “A Thirsty Earth”, which captures both the environmental and human costs of the escalating climate crisis in West Bengal, India. During a protest rally supporting Belarus’ opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova, local women resist police attempts to detain them., by © EPA/Yauhen Yerchak Photography4Humanity, a UN-supported initiative, calls on amateur and professional photographers from around the world to bring to life the power of human rights through their images, and inspire people to get involved and take a stand. Yauhen Yerchak’s photo, “Protest Has a Woman’s Face”, was one of the finalists. Taken during a protest rally in Belarus, it captures the fragility and power of a group of Belarusian women gathered in support of opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova. Mr. Yerchak’s and Mr. Pal’s work, along with that of the other nine finalists, was exhibited and discussed at a special event held at New York’s Fotografiska gallery on UN Human Rights Day. All of the pictures can be seen here.
