Egyptian cotton and child labour

Children as young as six work in the fields, sometimes for 20p a day Photograph: Robin Hammond/Robin Hammond

Mohammed Ramadan, eight, with one of the worms children are employed to pick off cotton leaves Photograph: Robin Hammond/Robin Hammond

Zawyat al-Kardsha: A cotton farming family headed by Shaban Abdal Zaher, (third from left). His children work in the family fields. He made £50 from his cotton last year Photograph: Robin Hammond/Robin Hammond

Abdul Rakhman, six, works in the fields Photograph: Robin Hammond/Robin Hammond

Mohammed Hamdi, eight, holds a handful of Egyptian cotton Photograph: Robin Hammond/Robin Hammond

Sacks full of freshly-picked cotton waiting to be spun and dyed Photograph: Robin Hammond/Robin Hammond

Men dye the cotton black Photograph: Robin Hammond/Robin Hammond

Bundles of cotton wait to be exported Photograph: Robin Hammond/Robin Hammond

Egyptian cotton products for sale in Egypt Photograph: Robin Hammond/Robin Hammond

Children make matresses and pillows stuffed with cotton Photograph: Robin Hammond/Robin Hammond

Akhmed Amitchaban, seven, rides a donkey in the cotton fields Photograph: Robin Hammond/Robin Hammond

Cairo, Egypt: Hamdy Maabad, from the Land Centre for Human Rights, says: 'It is becoming apparent that cotton is not an economical crop. Now it's just hurting people - and perhaps most tellingly the environment - badly, and many families are going under.' Photograph: Robin Hammond/Robin Hammond

Erosion and rising sea levels mean the cotton fields are being pumped with salt water under the rich, fertile soil south of the Nile Delta. This makes it almost impossible to grow crops Photograph: Robin Hammond/Robin Hammond