Way back in 2007, the Irish Association of Non-Governmental Development Organisations (Dochas), created a code of conduct on images and messages. It was a reaction to the somehow accepted situation of fundraisers relying on what you might call “flies in their eyes” photography. You don’t need to see an example here; if you live in a rich country, you know exactly what it looks like. (I wrote about all of this 10 years ago, I realise, and it still feels relevant.)

So, Irish NGOs committed to choosing photographs that respect people’s dignity and portray them as equals, not as victims who can only be saved by a generous foreigner. That means, among others, avoiding stereotypes – like that photo of the malnourished child, perhaps shot from above, and with family members cropped out, to exaggerate his or her vulnerability. The Dochas code was later adopted by the European NGO network, Concord; many others now have their own version, such as the UK’s international development network, Bond. 

The work’s not done yet, though. A recent report by UK MPs on racism in the aid sector found that many organisations had moved away from showing white aid workers and instead showed “frontline workers from the local community” – but that their films still showed individuals as “needy”. In doing so, they reinforce a narrative that these countries “are somehow inferior to the UK”. Last year, humanitarian aid stalwart Medecins Sans Frontieres finished a major review of its photo database, checking for things like lack of dignity, disturbing or offensive content, protection of minors, security risk and nudity – and found 10,000 “potentially problematic images”. As the charity itself asks, “How did images of suffering bodies become so ubiquitous and to what extent has MSF contributed to normalising the pain of others?”

Real people

I’m less involved with the international aid world nowadays, but one positive development I’ve seen within the broader social impact space is the emergence of free photo libraries specifically designed to tackle stereotypes – hugely welcome for those of us without the budget to commission our own photography. 

• Climate Visuals was created in 2015, drawing on research on what kind of images prompt positive action (rather than, for example, defensive reactions or apathy); it describes itself as “the world’s only evidence-based and impact focused climate photography resource”. 
• In 2021 the Centre for Ageing Better created the first free library “showing positive and realistic images of over 50s in a bid to challenge negative and stereotypical views of older age” – like the happy retiree on a cruise ship or the wrinkled hand clutching a walking stick.
• This year, the Centre for Homelessness Impact did something similar for people facing homelessness: turns out it isn’t only “single, middle-aged men sleeping in doorways”, but people of all kinds, from families living in hostels to young people who are ‘sofa surfing’, who are affected. 
• Scottish charity Zero Tolerance has a library of stock images that portray violence against women, without resorting to images of beaten and bruised victims (because this reinforces the myth that domestic abuse is only physical); it also goes beyond the usual approach of only ever portraying “white, non-disabled, young women” (because violence can affect women of all kinds). 
• There are also lots of stock image libraries that challenge the typical picture we might have of, say, a web developer, or an employee with a disability (here’s an overview of collections depicting plus-size people, people of colour, and more).

It’s a subtle but potentially powerful challenge to our assumptions of what it looks like to be at the receiving end of charity.

Photo: Lee Driver, 56, is currently looking after Ziggy, an 11-year-old Staffordshire terrier owned by a friend who’s away. (Centre for Homelessness Impact)