2023
Bloody hands Children of Minya Quarries
Entry type: Single project
Country/area: Egypt
Publishing organisation: ARIJ
Organisation size: Big
Publication date: 2022-09-13
Language: English
Authors: Barbara youssef
ahmed ashour
munir el kateb
Biography:
Investigative journalist working on graphic humanitarian stories andsocial issues, 6 years of experience in providing investigations andreports for several local and international sites
Project description:
An investigation about the children who worked in the mountain, their number reaches a quarter of the total number of soft workers, estimated at 55 thousand, who spend 12 hours a day for 2 dollars, in places inside the mountain working in cutting stones without the slightest factors of occupational safety or safety
Impact reached:
UNESCO, represented by Professor Maryam Shadid, contacted us regarding the work of a project for these children, and we are still in open communication with them
We also received several calls from human rights lawyers using the investigation as an important reference for these children’s rights issues
The MP also promised to open the children’s file at the beginning of the new year
Techniques/technologies used:
Video tools, digital cameras, audio and recording devices were used to document the investigation, Google Maps to accurately determine the location of the children’s work, Open source data backedand documents from within the Public Prosecution Office showing cases of children’s deaths inside the quarries.
Context about the project:
The environment in which children live is isolated in the mountains, far from residential areas, and therefore children are deprived of education, health, and all amenities and entertainment that a child needs.
During the investigation, I was subjected to direct threats from the owners of the quarries, in the event that the investigation was published, on the pretext that the investigation disrupts their work and exposes them to legal accountability.
What can other journalists learn from this project?
Journalists can focus on the point of small details that may lead to a large series of research, and we do not stop at publication.
Project links:
https://arij.net/investigations/minya-quarries/
