Photograph of female Hong Kong Red Cross worker holding a baby
Production date
1979
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Description
Black and white photograph. Female member of the Hong Kong Red Cross holding up a baby in a refugee camp for Vietnamese boat people.
This is a black and white photograph taken in 1979 of a member of the Hong Kong Red Cross holding up a baby in a refugee camp for Vietnamese boat people. The term ‘boat people’ refers to how they fled their country. At this time, the Hong Kong Red Cross was an overseas branch of the British Red Cross.
Many Vietnamese people fled their country following the collapse of the South Vietnamese government in 1975. The overcrowded boats were prey to pirates, dehydration and starvation. Hong Kong was one of the first places to grant asylum to refugees during the Vietnam War. By August 1979 it was accommodating 75,000 refugees in camps. In total over 100,000 refugees passed through the Hong Kong camps and around 19,000 came to the UK to be resettled. British Red Cross supported refugees in Hong Kong and on arrival in the UK. Teams of volunteers met newly arrived refugees in the UK at airports and accompanied them to the reception centres. Eight British Red Cross branches in the UK worked to provide a warm welcome and make the last leg of their journey as comfortable as possible. The migration was at its highest in 1978 to 1979, which is when this photograph was taken. The first destination for the refugees was the Southeast of Asia such as Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. In 1980 the refugee population in China alone had reached 260,000.
The economic state and destruction left by the Vietnam War and Vietnamese government policies and further conflicts with neighbouring countries caused an international humanitarian crisis, leaving the Southeast Asian countries more and more unwilling to accept refugees onto their shores.
From refugee camps in Southeast Asia, much like where this photograph was taken, most boat people were resettled in countries such as the United States of America, Canada, Australia, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Although, despite these efforts, several tens of thousands were sent back to Vietnam, voluntarily or not.
This photograph represents such an immense period of migration of Vietnamese people fleeing not only their country, due to the collapse of the government, but also their homes and everything they knew, losing many family members and friends in the process. I felt I had to choose this piece because it may have been taken 40 years ago, but sadly events like these are still seen today. Different counties, different people, different reasons - but still people, seeking a new home where they can feel safe and have a better future.
In this photograph a member of the Hong Kong Red Cross is able to welcome a baby, the next generation into their potential new home. I think it really illustrates how the Red Cross can support people in crisis, not only providing medical help and the essentials such as food and water but by being a welcoming and reassuring face of support.
Audio recording by Rachel Whittington (Volunteer), Manchester.
This is a black and white photograph taken in 1979 of a member of the Hong Kong Red Cross holding up a baby in a refugee camp for Vietnamese boat people. The term ‘boat people’ refers to how they fled their country. At this time, the Hong Kong Red Cross was an overseas branch of the British Red Cross.
Many Vietnamese people fled their country following the collapse of the South Vietnamese government in 1975. The overcrowded boats were prey to pirates, dehydration and starvation. Hong Kong was one of the first places to grant asylum to refugees during the Vietnam War. By August 1979 it was accommodating 75,000 refugees in camps. In total over 100,000 refugees passed through the Hong Kong camps and around 19,000 came to the UK to be resettled. British Red Cross supported refugees in Hong Kong and on arrival in the UK. Teams of volunteers met newly arrived refugees in the UK at airports and accompanied them to the reception centres. Eight British Red Cross branches in the UK worked to provide a warm welcome and make the last leg of their journey as comfortable as possible. The migration was at its highest in 1978 to 1979, which is when this photograph was taken. The first destination for the refugees was the Southeast of Asia such as Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. In 1980 the refugee population in China alone had reached 260,000.
The economic state and destruction left by the Vietnam War and Vietnamese government policies and further conflicts with neighbouring countries caused an international humanitarian crisis, leaving the Southeast Asian countries more and more unwilling to accept refugees onto their shores.
From refugee camps in Southeast Asia, much like where this photograph was taken, most boat people were resettled in countries such as the United States of America, Canada, Australia, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Although, despite these efforts, several tens of thousands were sent back to Vietnam, voluntarily or not.
This photograph represents such an immense period of migration of Vietnamese people fleeing not only their country, due to the collapse of the government, but also their homes and everything they knew, losing many family members and friends in the process. I felt I had to choose this piece because it may have been taken 40 years ago, but sadly events like these are still seen today. Different counties, different people, different reasons - but still people, seeking a new home where they can feel safe and have a better future.
In this photograph a member of the Hong Kong Red Cross is able to welcome a baby, the next generation into their potential new home. I think it really illustrates how the Red Cross can support people in crisis, not only providing medical help and the essentials such as food and water but by being a welcoming and reassuring face of support.
Audio recording by Rachel Whittington (Volunteer), Manchester.
Collection Type
Archives
Level of Current Record
item
Catalogue Number
RCC/5/16/59/IN3116
Subject auto tags
Part of 1 highlight set
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