Yasser has spent 27 years working in a quarry deep in the Jordanian desert, hauling slabs of stone for tiny sums of money. His family knows almost nothing about his work, other than that he barely makes enough to make ends meet. The slabs could easily be lifted mechanically onto the trucks that take them the 220km from the quarry to the Jordanian capital of Amman, but quarry owners prefer for them to be loaded by hand. This type of stone is very valuable and a favourite of wealthy renovators looking to add fashionable facades to their homes, and workers like Yasser can make sure that it is not cracked or damaged. According to civil society organisations labour violations are very common in Yasser’s industry. But at 46 years of age he has little alternative. He believes he is too old to learn a new trade.