NPR

Outcry Over Photo Showing The Face Of A Girl Allegedly Being Raped

A firestorm has erupted over the ethics of using that image on Facebook to promote a photo contest — and the broader issue of how Western media depicts young women and girls in poor countries.
This is a screenshot of an online promotion by LensCulture for the Magnum 2017 photo competition, using photographs by Souvid Datta taken of girls in the red light district of Kolkata. The photo that was used has been blacked out.

On April 28, the magazine LensCulture posted a photo of what appeared to be a man raping a girl who looks like a young teenager.

The magazine — which has nearly a million Facebook followers — was using the photo to promote a competition in partnership with Magnum Photos, which cost $60 to enter 10 photos. "Don't miss out!" the post said, a few sentences above the photo.

The caption said the girl is 16 and is being forced to have sexual interactions with a "client" in the red-light district of Kolkata, called Sonagachi.

The girl is on her back, looking up at the camera, with a naked man on top of her. Her face is in full view.

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