A child's rights

Irvine Welsh suggested it and Ralph Fiennes, Robbie Williams, Sir Alex Ferguson and Roger Moore have backed it.

Childscapes is an exploration of the rights of a child. Welsh was inspired to bring publicity to the UN’s cause after a field trip to Afghanistan. He saw how photographer Abbie Trayler-Smith illustrated UNICEF’s work and wanted to put together a show for the public.

That show features Ralph Fiennes witnessing the devastating effects of AIDS in Uganda and the Manchester United players in Thailand meeting illegal traffic girls from Burma, alongside harrowing images of children growing up in the developing world.

In this picture here, Ralph is sitting in a family home in rural Uganda with a "Grandmother" and her 14 orphaned grandchildren. She herself had ten, nine of whom are buried in her back garden.

The exhibition has been arranged to illustrate the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child, such as the rights to play, to be cared for and to have healthcare. Speaking about the Convention Irvine Welsh said: “With education we can create options and choices for ourselves and others. Without it, we fight blindly through life.”

The images have been taken by three very different photographers dedicated to assisting UNICEF: One of Britain’s brightest young photographers Tom Craig, theatre writer and photographer Charles Hart, and self-taught photographer Abbie Trayler-Smith, who was presented with the Young Photographer of the Year Award by Tony Blair.