Mads Joakim Rasmussen (Danish School of Journalism)
Childhood in Shatila
Award of Excellence
International Picture Story
Some might remember the name Shatila. A refugee camp located in Beirut where a lot of people were killed in 1982. Today there is no police to be seen inside the camp, and it is the citizens themselves, who tries to maintain order. But the everyday life is dominated by drugdealers, gangs and fighting in streets. Shatila is a place where children grow up.
Story: Childhood in Shatila
Childhood in Shatila
Shatila is a refugee camp located in Beirut, which was built in 1949 to house up to 3.000 Palestinian refugees. Today it is estimated to house up to 22.000 refugees, as a result of the Syrian Civil War.
Story: Childhood in Shatila
Childhood in Shatila
The camp is one of the few, that isn’t controlled by the government. The police are nowhere to be seen, and the camp is mostly controlled by Palestinian rebel groups.
Story: Childhood in Shatila
Childhood in Shatila
In 1982 there was a massacre in Shatila. Christian Phalanges slaughtered between 800 to 3500 people. During that time, the Israeli military allegedly stood 200 meters away from the camp and did nothing. "Sabra & Shatila 1982, never forget" tags appears around the camp.
Story: Childhood in Shatila
Childhood in Shatila
'Children and Youth Center' is supported by locals and organisations such as UNICEF. Six days a week between 9-11 and 13-15, the children can attend classes.
Story: Childhood in Shatila
Childhood in Shatila
In front of the Children and Youth Center, they have a place that works like a schoolyard. This is the place where the children should have some kind of space, where they could be left alone. But that doesn’t mean, that armed men cannot enter.
Story: Childhood in Shatila
Childhood in Shatila
With an ongoing stream of new refugees, the residence of the camp is people who just fled from their homecountry, and people who was born inside the camp.
Story: Childhood in Shatila
Childhood in Shatila
It is not uncommon that guns are fired inside the camp, and sometimes grenades are thrown. The reasons are various, but it is mostly because of internal disagreements in drug trafficking.
Story: Childhood in Shatila
Childhood in Shatila
People continue to move to Shatila, and even though people wants to move back to their homecountry, it isn't possible in most cases.