His photo, entitled “Awakening,” features a 15-year-old Armenian girl in a refugee centre near Warsaw.
The girl, named Ewa, has woken up from a catatonic state caused by what is known as resignation syndrome (RS). This affects traumatised children during a protracted asylum process, making them immobile, unable to eat and drink and unresponsive to psychological stimuli.
Ewa succumbed to the condition when her family was seeking asylum in Sweden. She recovered eight months after being deported to Poland.
Kaczor’s work was among six photos nominated for World Press Photo of the Year, the contest's most prestigious accolade. But this went to Yasuyoshi Chiba from Japan for a photo of a demonstration in Sudan.
Kaczor is a freelance photographer based in Warsaw.
(mk/gs)