1994 Photo Contest, Daily Life, 2nd prize
Photographer

James Nachtwey

Magnum Photos for Geo

01 January, 1993

In a brothel in Bombay, the child of an untouchable prostitute is kept tied up while her mother is with a client. Thousands of untouchable girls are sold into prostitution each year. In India the caste system, which has close links with Hindu tradition, has created a very hierarchical society. The system varies per region and affects every aspect of a person's life. On the lowest rung of the social ladder stand the untouchables. Although discrimination is now against the law, the hardest, dirtiest and lowest-paid jobs are reserved for them.

About the photographer

James Nachtwey

Photographs of the Vietnam War and the American Civil Rights movement inspired him to become a photographer. While teaching himself photography, he worked as truck driver and as ...

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