“They are the hidden victims of society who, in fact, cannot experience many of the beauties of life, they will grow up without the true love of their father.”
Mustafa and his grandchildren
(Photo: Younes Mohammad/Middle East Images agency).
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdish photographer Younes Mohammad from the Middle East Images this year won the third prize in the UNICEF Germany’s Photo of the Year Award for his photography depicting the difficult life of children whose fathers were injured in the ISIS war.
For this long-term project, Mohammed spoke with several hundred wounded Peshmerga, taking portraits of them and their families. He documented their struggle and difficult lives after the conflict.
Some of the Kurdish girls and boys portrayed by Younes Mohammed are still babies, others are between four and 16 years old.
“In some cases, they are simply too young to be traumatized by the scars of war, but they are already part of the story of their fathers, which will also become their own,” UNICEF said.
“Mohammad has portrayed the great strength of children when it comes to dealing with the fates of their families, to accepting the disabilities of their fathers, to loving and to smiling,” it added.
“He also wants to show a feeling of security that can be stronger than all the suffering experienced. And the confidence of the injured, which comes from their children.”
Mohammed told Kurdistan 24 that the real award should go to the heroic Peshmerga of Kurdistan and their families who “sacrificed their lives for the sake of security and freedom of their homeland.”
“I soon realized that children are the biggest victims of the war and no one names them,” he said. “They are the hidden victims of society who, in fact, cannot experience many of the beauties of life, they will grow up without the true love of their father.”
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdish photographer Younes Mohammad from the Middle East Images this year won the third prize in the UNICEF Germany’s Photo of the Year Award for his photography depicting the difficult life of children whose fathers were injured in the ISIS war.
For this long-term project, Mohammed spoke with several hundred wounded Peshmerga, taking portraits of them and their families. He documented their struggle and difficult lives after the conflict.
Some of the Kurdish girls and boys portrayed by Younes Mohammed are still babies, others are between four and 16 years old.
“In some cases, they are simply too young to be traumatized by the scars of war, but they are already part of the story of their fathers, which will also become their own,” UNICEF said.
“Mohammad has portrayed the great strength of children when it comes to dealing with the fates of their families, to accepting the disabilities of their fathers, to loving and to smiling,” it added.
“He also wants to show a feeling of security that can be stronger than all the suffering experienced. And the confidence of the injured, which comes from their children.”
Mohammed told Kurdistan 24 that the real award should go to the heroic Peshmerga of Kurdistan and their families who “sacrificed their lives for the sake of security and freedom of their homeland.”
“I soon realized that children are the biggest victims of the war and no one names them,” he said. “They are the hidden victims of society who, in fact, cannot experience many of the beauties of life, they will grow up without the true love of their father.”
Salman and his kids
(Photo: Younes Mohammad/Middle East Images agency).
“Their fathers cannot hug them or play with them or go with them to the park and other places, and these children have actually lost the present and the future at the same time, and no one knows how and with what difficulty they will grow up and what will be their destiny,” he added.
Mohammed hopes that this award will make the children of injured Peshmerga in Kurdistan “more visible for the world.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UNICEF award ceremony wasn’t held this year and only published digitally. However, the photo’s of the winners will be shown in the German parliament for four weeks from Dec. 21, and then shown in other German cities.
Younes Mohammad was born in Duhok in 1968. He lived as a refugee in Iran from 1974 until 1998. There, he studied at the University of Tehran, where he also received his master’s degree.
It was not until 2011 that he was able to begin a career in photography. He played a major role in covering the Kurdish fight against ISIS.
He has already received numerous awards for his work in the US, Australia, India, South Korea and several European countries. For his Peshmerga project alone, he has won over 10 awards.
“Their fathers cannot hug them or play with them or go with them to the park and other places, and these children have actually lost the present and the future at the same time, and no one knows how and with what difficulty they will grow up and what will be their destiny,” he added.
Mohammed hopes that this award will make the children of injured Peshmerga in Kurdistan “more visible for the world.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UNICEF award ceremony wasn’t held this year and only published digitally. However, the photo’s of the winners will be shown in the German parliament for four weeks from Dec. 21, and then shown in other German cities.
Younes Mohammad was born in Duhok in 1968. He lived as a refugee in Iran from 1974 until 1998. There, he studied at the University of Tehran, where he also received his master’s degree.
It was not until 2011 that he was able to begin a career in photography. He played a major role in covering the Kurdish fight against ISIS.
He has already received numerous awards for his work in the US, Australia, India, South Korea and several European countries. For his Peshmerga project alone, he has won over 10 awards.
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