01 January, 1971

Original caption from World Press Photo (1972)

A nurse in a Pakistani refugee camp near Calcutta tries to administer a vaccination to a Pakistani child. At the beginning of the monsoon season, cholera was rife in the refugee camps. Nurses from the War on Want organisation started a vaccination campaign in the camps. John Downing made this pictures after spending hours in the muddy camp. The child, terrified by the equipment the nurse is using, made a desperate attempt to escape, while the nurse tried to explain to him that she would not hurt him.

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More information
Through a Glass Darkly, by Robert Godden, published on Witness in September 2017
How should vulnerable children be represented in the media? Are we guilty of applying different ethical standards dependent on the race, ethnicity, nationality, location, gender or class of the child? Robert Godden explores these questions and provides guidelines for photojournalists and organizations.