Photojournalism 1st place winner

In Bangladesh the schools got closed in March 2020 as a Corona pre-caution, and till February 2021 were not yet opened. Online schooling and "E-ducation" are not an option for so many of the children.
Several of them ended up working in the numerous factories in Bangladesh, like the kids in this reportage. They are working in the aluminium industry, polishing pots and pans. The metal dust leaves a thin cover of grey on their faces after a day of hard work.

My name is Steven and I am Dutch, but I have worked for years in Bangladesh.
The country is amazing, despite the negative attention it often receives in the media.
I have travelled extensively through the country, and decided to show the reality, but in a way that it empowers the people in my pictures.