Shafiqul Alam

Shafiqul Alam Kiron is a documentary Photographer interested in social justice and its aspects.
Kiron first started documentary photography in 1997 where he focused on the acid survivors and
aspects of their social justice. His work during this period earned him the World Press Photo Award, and
he became the first Bangladeshi photographer to have achieved this, consecutively twice (1st Prize,
People in the News Stories, 1998 and 2nd Prize, Spot News Stories, 2000).

The publication of his work in Europe (Paris March, Biba Magazine, New Internationalists, Sunday Times,
REVU, De Volkskrant and The Independent, London) exposed the horror of acid throwing in Bangladesh.
As a direct result, the Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF), an NGO dedicated to help the victims of acid
throwing, was founded in 1999. In the same year he was also awarded with the CARE France for Best
Humanitarian Reportage. He is also the three times recipient of the Commonwealth Photographic
Award.

Kiron has been professionally working with Humanitarian NGOs and Organizations like – UNICEF, Save
the Children Alliance, Sightsavers International, Actionaid, Concern, ILO, ADB, BRAC, CARE, and CAMPE.
Kiron’s major exhibition was a month long show with UNICEF and Acid Survivors Foundation held at
UNICEF premises, Dhaka. His images were part of a television documentary created by ABC Network in
1999. His works were also shown at the World Press Exhibition in Dhaka and in Amsterdam, Visa Purr
L’Image, Perpignan and MAI-Photographies, both in France, known as the most prestigious photo
documentary gathering in the world.

His work was compiled and published in March 2014 – “UNSTOPPABLE The Courage Within”- a book
dedicated to the acid survivors.