FCCT/OnAsia PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS - 2010
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Working in Hell: The Sulfur Mines of Eastern Java
In eastern Java, Mount Ijen, a live volcano, looms high above the landscape. Molten sulfur funnels out of pipes deep inside the crater, filling the air with a toxic mix of pungent sulfur gas and smoke. These Indonesian miners, in primitive conditions not seen in most places for more than a century, often wear no protection, carrying up to 100 kilos of sulfur on their shoulders, climbing steep rocky paths in extreme humidity and descending the volcano for 3 kilometers, barefoot, twice daily, choking from the toxic fumes. They are not allowed to have a union to protect them. Still, it's the only job they have, earning them the equivalent of USD$8 per day. The conditions destroy their lungs, eyes and other tissues and their life expectancy is fifty years - a result some would describe as a systematic violation of human and labor rights.
"We work in hell," said the miners, "our eyes and lungs burn the whole day, but there's nothing we can do. Otherwise, we're scared we'll have nothing to eat."
Human Rights - Honorable mention: Pierpaolo Mittica
Working in Hell: The Sulfur Mines of Eastern Java
In eastern Java, Mount Ijen, a live volcano, looms high above the landscape. Molten sulfur funnels out of pipes deep inside the crater, filling the air with a toxic mix of pungent sulfur gas and smoke. These Indonesian miners, in primitive conditions not seen in most places for more than a century, often wear no protection, carrying up to 100 kilos of sulfur on their shoulders, climbing steep rocky paths in extreme humidity and descending the volcano for 3 kilometers, barefoot, twice daily, choking from the toxic fumes. They are not allowed to have a union to protect them. Still, it's the only job they have, earning them the equivalent of USD$8 per day. The conditions destroy their lungs, eyes and other tissues and their life expectancy is fifty years - a result some would describe as a systematic violation of human and labor rights.
"We work in hell," said the miners, "our eyes and lungs burn the whole day, but there's nothing we can do. Otherwise, we're scared we'll have nothing to eat."